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| RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 22: Robert Whittaker of New Zealand reacts after his victory |
There are levels to the MMA game, and Robert Whittaker sent that message to everybody in the UFC's middleweight division on Saturday evening in Saudi Arabia. You can't just drop a person in without prior warning anticipate that he should give me a battle. Whittaker burned through no time annihilating short-notice substitution Ikram Aliskerov at the headliner of the UFC Saudi Arabia. Whittaker at first hurt Aliskerov with a straight right hand, yet he at last completed the arrangement with an uppercut and two subsequent punches before ref Marc Goddard stepped in to demand the cessation of the battle. Whittaker had all that to lose in this battle.
He was at first set to confront Khamzat Chimaev, however the last option pulled out of the battle last week in the wake of getting food contamination. Aliskerov, whose main past loss came against Chimaev before the two men showed up in the UFC, was eliminated from a co-headliner spot in last week's UFC Vegas 93 card and moved up to the spot against Whittaker.
It didn't take long to see that the 31-year-old Russian was way over his head. Aliskerov, a promising and capable competitor, may get a battle with another middleweight sitting right external the main 15 in his next bou
While he was not prepared for the obligation he was squeezed into on Saturday, he actually holds extraordinary potential for future progress in the division. Whittaker, who procured one of the Exhibition of the Night Rewards for his work, ought to hold safely as the No. 3 middleweight on the planet.
He'd probably very much want to have a title chance in his next battle, and he'd likewise possible express yes to a battle with Sean Strickland, with the champ getting a fight against the victor of Israel Adesanya versus Dricus Du Plessis.
A few MMA outlets appear to concur that a Whittaker-Strickland battle is the most sensible and energizing following stage for the division.
The Adesanya-Du Plessis battle is booked for August 17 at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.
The Australia-conceived Whittaker elected to be a potential substitution contender for either man should the headliner need somebody to step in. Whittaker has lost to Adesanya two times and Du Plessis once, so it's a good idea to be behind Strickland in line.
Strickland beat Adesanya and lost his title to Du Plessis in a questionable split choice recently. Regardless of what occurs next for Whittaker, he has situated himself for a significant open door in his next battle.
POTN: Robert Whittaker, Shara Magomedov, Alexander Volkov and Felipe Lima
Whittaker merited his reward. Shara Magomedov procured a reward with a third-round technical knockout win over a late substitution in Antonio Trocoli.
Volkov's destruction of Pavlovich procured one of the rewards, and he could essentially have a chance at the break title. Finally, Felipe Lima won stunningly with a third-round accommodation triumph over Muhammad Naimov in the prelims.
Here are the outcomes from the UFC's very first occasion in Saudi Arabia, with scorecards and finish features.
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