UFC News: Robert Whittaker goes below the belt as Dana White saves the day after Khamzat Chimaev's injury and withdrawal

Before the main event of his first event in Saudi Arabia, Dana White was convinced that it was the “The best Fight Night card ever.” And after it became known that Khamzat Chimaevone of the greatest in the UFC, will headline the Fight Night against the former middleweight champion Robert WhittakerAnd for a while, it actually seemed like the UFC CEO had kept his promise.

However, “Borz,” who is reportedly hospitalized with an injury, was forced to withdraw from the fight, prompting the UFC to replace him with a promising 180-pounder. Ikram Aliskerov for the main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, card days starting with the fight on June 22. And Whittaker made a surprising revelation about his Dagestani opponent in a recent interview with the New York Post.

Robert Whittaker did not know who Aliskerov was before he replaced Khamzat Chimaev

Robert Whittaker is excited to face Ikram Aliskerov in Saudi Arabia as the Dagestanis present a unique challenge. Aliskerov is of course another Dagestani MMA phenomenon and like other fighters from the Russian province, he has excellent wrestling skills which he has used successfully in his professional MMA career, winning all but one of his fights.

Interestingly, Aliskerov suffered his only career loss against Khamzat Chimaev, back when both men fought for Brave FC. Just three fights into his UFC career, Aliskerov has been presented with a golden opportunity by chance. If he can beat the always dangerous Whittaker, he has a good chance of being somewhere in the middleweight title race (albeit only marginally). Before their fateful clash in Saudi Arabia, Robert Whittaker admitted that he didn't even know who Ikram Aliskerov was before he was brought in to replace Chimaev.

“Ikram brings a different threat. I had never heard of him or seen him fight before. Mate, sometimes you just have to take things as they come and yes, I have full confidence in my abilities.” he said.

However, the former New Zealand champion was confident he could take on the Dagestanis in their historic Saudi Arabia, expressing his confidence in his abilities. And Whittaker, with his remarkable versatile game, excellent striking skills and strong running game, will certainly pose a challenge to Aliskerov, who is taking a big step forward in the competition.

But despite all the uncertainties, one thing is clear: If the unranked middleweight can beat Whittaker, or at least give him a fair fight, he will not only climb the rankings, but will also be on his way to a title shot at an extraordinary pace.

Whittaker clearly steps back in fight against Aliskerov

Had Robert Whittaker defeated Chimaev, he would have been well on his way to challenging for the UFC's coveted 180-pound title. After all, “Borz” was the number one contender for the middleweight title following his UFC 294 win last year.

And even though the division had moved on after Chimaev declined a booking at UFC 297 against then-champion Sean Strickland, the Chechen was still pretty close to challenging for the title. In fact, he was expected to be in the same position as Whittaker, i.e. probably just one step away from the title, had Chimaev defeated the New Zealander in Saudi Arabia.

However, with Chimaev out, Whittaker is in a hopeless position. With Aliskerov only three fights into his UFC career and relatively unknown, a win over him is unlikely to improve Whittaker's standing or ranking in the division. However, a loss would be a major blow and the former champion would have to take the long road to a title shot again.