Whittaker reveals why he accepted high-risk bout against unkown fighter

Robert Whittaker. Photo via Instagram (@robwhittakermma)

With Khamzat Chimaev out, Robert Whittaker will take on the relatively unknown Ikram Aliskerov in the main event of the upcoming UFC Saudi Arabia card.

Aliskerov has a 15-1 record, with three straight wins in the UFC. His only loss came against Chimaev in Brave CF, back in April 2019.

The former champion, however, had no idea who Aliskerov was before getting him presented as an opponent.

”Ikram brings a different threat to the table. I hadn’t heard of him or seen him fight before that. Sometimes you just got to take things as they come. I have full faith in my skillsets and my ability,” Whittaker recently told the New York Post.

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Robert Whittaker: ”This is my job”

The unranked Aliskerov is by no means an easy fight, even for a former UFC champion like Robert Whittaker, but the 33-year-old did not hesitate to accept the short-notice bout.

”My team are the ones who handle all that sort of side of things. But my team understood that I’m here to fight,” Whittaker said. ”I’ve done a big prep, I’m fit and strong and able. And this is my job; this is how I put bread on the table for my family. So, they understood my objective was to get the fight to happen. Then the rest is up to them in how they proceeded with it.”

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