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In Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the UFC hosted their UFC Saudi Arabia fight card. Ikram Aliskerov, a late substitute, matched up against former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in a 185-pound match. Alexander Volkov and Sergei Pavlovich, two fighters listed in the top five, also fought in a heavyweight about. Aliskerov was shifted to the Saudi Arabia event after the fight initially slated for Khamzat Chimaev was called off due to sickness.
At UFC Saudi Arabia, unranked fighter Aliskerov was beaten in the opening round by UFC fighter Whittaker, who is now ranked No. 3 in the UFC middleweight rankings.
With the knockout victory, Whittaker improved to 26-7. Over the brief fight, the former UFC champion maintained her composure. The excitement surrounding his opponent, who was 2-0 in the UFC with two first-round knockout victories, and the fight's narrow odds didn't deter the former champion.
Whittaker had a dangerous battle at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, but he came out on top, ensuring his ambitions of winning the championship again and maybe elevating his profile following the knockout victory.
In the UFC Saudi Arabia co-main event, Alexander Volkov defeated Sergei Pavlovich with remarkable force, causing a major upset for the underdog, who was ranked third going into the about.
The complete fight card results, winners, losers, and fight-night bonuses from UFC Saudi Arabia are shown below. Prelims on ESPN were followed by the main card of Saturday's UFC Fight Night event on ABC.
Winners of the UFC Saudi Arabia
Robert Whittaker: In combat sports, there's a common proverb that goes, "There are levels to this." On Saturday, Ikram Aliskerov was informed that he was not as good as Robert Whittaker, the former middleweight champion of the UFC.
Aliskerov came into the battle with a lot of buzz, but Whittaker took care of him by decisively knocking him out in the opening frame.
Whittaker picked up the finish, displaying his seasoned skill.
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Alexander Volkov: It was a good idea for Alexander Volkov to approach this battle methodically. He didn't go above and beyond. He avoided taking needless chances. He never gave his opponent, the hard-hitting Sergei Pavlovich, a chance to gain a handle on him because he stayed true to his game plan of employing kicks and punches.
Although Volkov's technical style may not have been the most appealing to fans, he did exactly what was required of him to win against an opponent who had never advanced past the first round in a UFC fight.
Volkov, who joined the UFC in 2016 and has never competed in the heavyweight championship, won for the fourth time in a row.
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Daniel Rodriguez: Daniel Rodriguez was put in a difficult situation by Kelvin Gastelum. Rodriguez, who signed Gastelum to compete at 170 pounds, learned on Thursday that the fighter would not be able to reach his weight. Rodriguez, who was on track to gain weight, found himself in a difficult situation when the UFC rescheduled the fight to 185 pounds. He nonetheless agreed to battle.
Gastelum acted incompetently. Rodriguez wasn't.
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Shara Magomedov: After Antonio Trocoli scored early in the middleweight bout with blows, Shara Magomedov grinned. That would be the only successful moment for Trocoli. After that, Magomedov repelled his opponent with kicks. In the second and third rounds, Magomedov gained confidence and comfort by landing kicks and powerful head punches against Trocoli, who was able to muster little to no offense.
Ultimately, the third-round knockout victory for the patient Magomedov ended up being a glorified sparring session.
Volkan Oezdemir: With a brutal stoppage of Johnny Walker, the heavy-handed Volkan Oezdemir achieved his first knockout victory in over five years. This bout was precisely what the defensively dubious Walker seemed to be built for—a highlight-reel knockout victory against Oezdemir.
Losers of the UFC Saudi Arabia
Ikram Aliskerov: At UFC Saudi Arabia, Ikram Aliskerov entered a battle against Robert Whittaker on short notice. Whittaker gave him a highlight-reel knockout, so it did not go well for him.
Although Aliskerov's defeat may lessen his buzz, it's fair to say that, coming into Saturday with just two UFC victories under his belt, he was unprepared for a fighter with Whittaker's level of experience.
Sergei Pavlovich: Sergei Pavlovich lost a one-sided decision because of his severe difficulties controlling Alexander Volkov's range.
Kelvin Gastelum: Kelvin Gastelum agreed to compete at welterweight against Daniel Rodriguez at the UFC Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, after it was apparent that Gastelum would not be able to make it to the 170-pound limit, the UFC shifted the bout to middleweight.
The reason the fight wasn't shifted to 185 pounds before fight week, maybe for an advantage, is still unclear in light of Gastelum's lack of weight gain for Saturday's contest.
Antonio Trocoli: On Saturday, Antonio Trocoli was having a free roll. Days before the bout, he agreed to take on Shara Magomedov. In an attempt to shorten the time and space for his heightened opponent, he started the bout with a few strong blows and then forced objects into the barrier.
But aside from the initial exchanges of the fight, Trocoli lacked intensity, and in the second and third rounds, he was essentially Magomedov's target.
Marc Goddard: Marc Goddard is an excellent referee, but in the second round of Shara Magomedov's fight against Antonio Trocoli, he let a clear-cut fence grab go unpunished, which appeared to have stopped a takedown.
Johnny Walker: The untamed Johnny Walker from his initial UFC days is no longer with us. A boxer with questionable defense who works behind leg kicks has taken his spot. Volkan Oezdemir, who possessed great strength, knocked him out horribly despite his slow manner.
Jason Herzog: Although Jason Herzog is an excellent referee, he lacked urgency in stopping the Volkan Oezdemir vs. Johnny Walker bout, which led to Walker eating an undefended strike on the mat.
Muhammad Naimov: Felipe Lima, Muhammad Naimov's late substitute opponent, put a lot of pressure on him and moved quickly. Despite not having practiced for Lima, Naimov was never able to settle down or feel at ease against her.
Brendson Ribeiro: In their light heavyweight match, Brendon Ribeiro gave it his all for ten solid minutes until tiring in the third stanza against Magomed Gadzhiyasulov. If Ribeiro's cardio had improved, he may have had a chance in this game. With the defeat, he dropped to 0–2 in the UFC.
UFC: No women worked the UFC event, and the card had no bouts featuring women.
UFC Commentary crew: I know Saudi Arabia spent a lot of money to get the UFC to Kingdom Arena, but it felt like needless sportswashing when the commentary crew did what appeared to be public relations work for Saudi Arabia throughout the broadcast.
Full fight card results for the UFC Saudi Arabia
(ABC) UFC Saudi Arabia Main Card
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At 1:49 of Round 1, Robert Whittaker knocks out Ikram Aliskerov with a punch to the head from a distance.
By unanimous vote, Alexander Volkov overcomes Sergei Pavlovich (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Daniel Rodriguez is defeated by Kelvin Gastelum by a unanimous vote (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
At 2:27 in Round 3, Shara Magomedov knocks out Antonio Trocoli (head punches from a distance).
ESPN / ESPN+ preliminary card for the UFC Saudi Arabia
Nasrat Haqparast defeats Jared Gordon via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Felipe Lima defeats Muhammad Naimov via submission (Rear-naked choke at 1:15 of Round 3)
Rinat Fakhretdinov defeats Nicolas Dalby via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Muin Gafurov defeats Kang Kyung-ho via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Magomed Gadzhiyasulov defeats Brendon Ribeiro via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Chang Ho Lee defeats Xiao Long via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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