Robert Whittaker has taken Khamzat Chimaev’s withdrawal from UFC on ABC 6 and the switch to new main event opponent Ikram Aliskerov all in stride.
Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) was scheduled to fight Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the headliner of the octagon’s debut in Saudi Arabia on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+). Chimaev became “violently ill,” according to UFC CEO Dana White, and was replaced by Aliskerov (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on nine days’ notice for the five-round middleweight bout.
“The changeover was really quick,” Whittaker told MMA Junkie on Monday. “My coach pulled me aside and told me the news about Khamzat and within a few hours my team and the UFC had worked something out and a new opponent was up to the plate. It’s not disappointing as such. I consider myself lucky to a degree because the fight’s still happening.
