The UFC Octagon touches down in Saudi Arabia this Saturday (June 22) for a stacked UFC Fight Night event at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
UFC Star Michael Chandler Opens Door on Potential BMF Title Fight
The Reaper is BACK this Saturday night for #UFCSaudiArabia!
— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 2024
[ LIVE on ABC/@ESPNPlus | 3pmET/12pmPT ]@RobWhittakerMMA | #RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/UpQWRxKqhL
The main event was supposed to see the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev square off with former Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker, but health issues unfortunately forced “Borz” to withdraw less than two weeks before the event. Ikram Aliskerov was luckily able to step up and replace Chimaev on short notice, and now Aliskerov will look to break into the UFC rankings when he faces Whittaker.
Ended his last fight with fireworks @Ikram_Aliskerov hopes to excite in the #UFCSaudiArabia main event!#RiyadhSeason | @RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/kEbayMwbst
— UFC (@ufc) June 20, 2024
The night’s co-main event is a massive heavyweight tilt featuring Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov. Pavlovich is coming off a failed bid to win the interim heavyweight belt against Tom Aspinall at UFC 295, while Volkov has climbed to #5 in the UFC heavyweight rankings thanks to a three-fight win streak where he’s finished every opponent he’s faced.
He’s hunting for a title shot @AlexDragoVolkov weighs-in at 258lbs!
— UFC (@ufc) June 21, 2024
[ #UFCSaudiArabia | TOMORROW on ABC | 3pmET/12pmPT | #RiyadhSeason ] pic.twitter.com/YkTdHAlqNx
The rest of the main card will see Kelvin Gastelum and Daniel Rodriguez square off in a middleweight bout after Gastelum had difficulties making the cut to welterweight. Shara Magomedov will also welcome Antonio Trócoli to the Octagon after the Brazilian stepped in to replace Joilton Lutterbach. Light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Volkan Oezdemir will kick off the main card, and the UFC Saudi Arabia prelims are also loaded with intriguing matchups that fight fans won’t want to miss.
UFC Saudi Arabia: Debutant Comes Clean on Steroid Use in Failed Drug Test
Gastelum’s fight week request for the Rodriguez matchup to be contested at middleweight aside, all fighters scheduled to compete at UFC Saudi Arabia successfully made weight for their respective bouts.
The prelims for UFC Saudi Arabia are set to kick off at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday and will be available on ESPN and ESPN+ for viewers in the United States before the main card starts at 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+. Be sure to check back on this page for all of the live results and highlights from the action once the event starts!
• Main Event: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov
• Co-Main Event: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov
• Kelvin Gastlum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
• Shara Magomedov vs. Antonio Trócoli
• Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir
• Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon
• Muhammad Naimov vs. Felipe Lima
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby
• Muin Gafurov vs. Kyung Ho Kang
• Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Long Xiao vs. Chang Ho Lee
UFC News: Kamaru Usman Names Rival That Had Him 'Super Nervous' During Title Run
Follow MMA Knockout on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!