The next UFC Fight Night features an exciting middleweight showdown. Third-ranked Robert Whitaker will face Ikram Aliskerov on Saturday, June 22, at 3:00 PM ET at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Whittaker is favored to win, with a moneyline currently at -154.
Whittaker is 2-2 over his last four fights, with his most recent victory being a unanimous decision over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February. This victory got him back on the right track after losing to Dricus Du Plessis in the fight before a second-round TKO.
He has established 25 wins in his career, with nine by knockout, five by submission, and 11 by decision. Out of seven losses, he has three, each by knockout and decision. On top of that, he has earned six first-round finishes.
Looking at his fight stats, "The Reaper" strikes with an accuracy of 43 percent and lands takedowns at a 38 percent success rate. He is aggressive with significant strikes; he lands 4.57 significant strikes a minute and takes on 3.45. This is a solid difference between the two averages, which bodes well for his chances of winning.
Whittaker defends against significant strikes at 60 percent and against takedowns at 83 percent, which shows a good defense. He also averages 0.81 takedowns per 15 minutes of fight time, so only a little ground action.
Aliskerov steps in on late notice to face Whittaker since Khamzat Chimaev could not make it due to an illness. This is a massive opportunity for a rising star in the middleweight division, especially if he can knock off a top-three-ranked opponent. He is currently on a seven-fight win streak coming into this, with a first-round TKO over Warlley Alves back at UFC 294 in October of last year.
He has 15 career wins, including six knockouts, five submissions, and four decisions. His only loss was a knockout in 2019, ironically enough, against Chimaev at Brave CF.
His striking accuracy is 65 percent, and he connects on takedowns at 33 percent. He puts up 8.24 significant strikes and takes on 7.15 in return each minute. This is quite aggressive, as he takes on a lot of strikes in a short time.
Aliskerov has been averaging 2.33 takedowns and submissions per 15 minutes of action. Defensively, he wards off 37 percent of significant strikes so far.
MyBookie has the betting odds ready for this UFC battle, which favors Whittaker to win in the main event. Historically, he has done well against fighters when he controls the pace and this is another battle where he could take over. Look for him to finish this battle early.
