Robert Whittaker Impresses

Whittaker stunned him a little over a minute into the fight with a counter right hand. The shot put Aliskerov on skates, and Whittaker followed with a jab that sent him reeling back to the fence. Whittaker followed him to the cage and threw a perfect right uppercut that basically ended the fight. Referee Marc Goddard gave Aliskerov one final chance to recover on his knees, but it was clear he was done.

“I told everybody, I am the boogeyman,” Whittaker said. “I’m the best in the world and the most dangerous matchup for anyone in the division. I’ll take a fight anywhere, anytime. I proved it tonight.”

Staying in contention

The win keeps Whittaker in the conversation for a title shot in the middleweight title shot. Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has been the biggest obstacle in Whittaker title reigns. Adesanya has defeated Whittaker twice in title fights, their first meeting in October of 2019 at UFC 243 ended in a 2nd round KO. Their rematch in February of 2022 at UFC 271 that resulted in a win via decision. In a last minute win against a risky opponent in Aliskerov gives Whittaker the chance to get the momentum going to scrape for another title shot.