UFC International Fight Week takes over Las Vegas next week, but the promotion is halfway across the world for this weekend’s Fight Night card in Saudi Arabia that’s headlined by ex-UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker taking on an impressive prospect in Ikram Aliskerov on Saturday.
Whittaker (26-7) is a much-beloved former champion looking to retrieve his title. The man affectionately known as “Bobby Knuckles” is 14-3 in the last decade, losing only to fellow champions Israel Adesanya (twice) and Dricus du Plessis. The Australian was scheduled to fight Khamazt Chimaev in a title eliminator on Saturday but agreed to stake his No. 3 spot in the UFC’s official middleweight rankings against a dangerous prospect in Aliskerov after Chimaev withdrew with illness.
“Not that I know of,” Whittaker told CBS Sports when asked if a title shot was off the table without Chimaev. “But honestly, none of that …