Despite a short-notice defeat by Robert Whittaker at the UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia, Ikram Aliskerov has no regrets and views the experience as a valuable learning opportunity.
Ikram Aliskerov has no regrets.
This past Saturday, Aliskerov stepped in on short notice to face Robert Whittaker. It was the main event of the UFC’s debut in Saudi Arabia. Originally, he was set to fight Antonio Trocoli a week earlier at UFC Vegas 93. Big risk for Aliskerov. It didn’t go well.
Whittaker demolished the Dagestani fighter. Finished him in under two minutes with a brutal knockout.
But despite how things turned out, Aliskerov says he has no regrets about stepping up.
“Alhamdulilla, no excuses,” he tweeted. “I don’t regret anything.”
“It was a big experience against one of the best in the sport,” he continued. “I’m young, I’ll work on my mistakes, learn and get back into business soon.”
He also thanked everyone for their support messages.
The 31-year-old Aliskerov is a former combat sambo world champion. Many view him as one of the best prospects in the middleweight division.
Aliskerov made his UFC debut in 2023. He scored impressive knockout victories over Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves.
The loss to Whittaker is his first in the octagon. It’s only the second loss of his career, following a knockout by Khamzat Chimaev in Brave FC back in 2019.
So, no regrets for Ikram Aliskerov. He’s ready to learn and come back stronger.