- Robert Whittaker talked about Khamzat Chimaev’s replacement at UFC Saudi Arabia
- “The Reaper” is aiming for a title shot and rematch with Dricus du Plessis
Robert Whittaker has already moved on from Khamzat Chimaev and is taking his new opponent very seriously as well.
A new threat
Speaking to New York Post Sports, “The Reaper” shared his honest thoughts on Ikram Aliskerov, the replacement fighter who stepped after Chimaev pulled out due to illness. According to Whittaker, he has been prepared to face “Borz” but Aliskerov is a “different threat.” Nevertheless, the former middleweight champion is confident about his game.
“There was like two hours where we were working things out, figuring out what was happening and yeah, Ikram stepped in and now we’re fighting him… Ikram brings a different threat to the table. I hadn’t heard of him or seen him fight before that. Mate sometimes you’ve just got to take things as they come and yeah, I have full faith in my skill set. He’s alright, I’ve watched some tape and there’s not a lot of tape out there on him,” Whittaker explained.
“The key thing is that I’m just thankful to not only to my team and the UFC for making the fight happen, but to Ikram himself. I’ve put in so much work to get to the fight, and it would have been devastating to not fight,” he added.
Robert wants revenge
Whittaker knew that he would’ve been in a completely different situation had he managed to beat Dricus du Plessis in their title eliminator fight at UFC 290. What that in mind, “The Reaper” admitted that he still wants to avenge that loss but until then, his focus is on beating Aliskerov.
“I want that fight again because I just want to avenge that loss but that’s for future. I’m very much stay on task, I’m focusing on beating Ikram, I’m focusing on bringing my best game to the table next Saturday and yeah that’s kind of where my timeline ends at the moment,” Whittaker concluded.
Whittaker is coming off a dominant win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298. On the other hand, Aliskerov is fresh off back-to-back first-round finishes and has gone unbeaten in his last seven fights as a pro. The pair will headline UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Watch Whittaker’s full interview below:
