Ikram Aliskerov issues statement following UFC Saudi Arabia loss to Robert Whittaker

Ikram Aliskerov has spoken out following his first-round knockout loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia.

Aliskerov was a late replacement opponent, as Khamzat Chimaev fell ill and was forced out of the matchup with Whittaker. Many felt that Aliskerov would post an interesting challenge for “Bobby Knuckles,” but the former UFC middleweight champion didn’t give his opponent a chance to get comfortable.

After rocking Aliskerov, Whittaker landed a huge uppercut that put the Dagestan fighter down. “The Reaper” followed up with punches on the ground to earn his second straight victory.

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Ikram Aliskerov Vows to Learn From First UFC Loss

Ikram Aliskerov only had one loss in his career prior to the bout with Robert Whittaker, and it was against Khamzat Chimaev. The defeat in Saudi Arabia was Aliskerov’s first under the UFC banner.

Taking to his ‘X’ account, the Russian middleweight issued the following statement:

Alhamdulilla, no excuses. I don’t regret anything. It was a big experience against one of the best in the sport. I'm young, I'll work on my mistakes , learn and get back into business soon.Thank to everyone for support messages.

— ikram_aliskerov (@ikram_aliskerov) June 23, 2024

“Alhamdulilla, no excuses. I don’t regret anything. It was a big experience against one of the best in the sport. I’m young, I’ll work on my mistakes, learn and get back into business soon. Thank to everyone for support messages.”

Aliskerov was riding a seven-fight winning streak. While no fighter wants to see their momentum halted, Aliskerov can take solace in the fact that his winning streak came to an end at the hands of a former UFC middleweight champion who remains in his prime.

Whittaker has likely set himself up to be a backup option for the UFC 305 main event between current 185-pound king Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya in Perth. As for Aliskerov, he will need to go back to the drawing board and see what holes he can address to return to the Octagon with improvements in his game.