Ikram Aliskerov Calls It 'An Honor' to Fight Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia

Ikram Aliskerov is all class in the aftermath of his loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 .

Aliskerov stepped up on short notice to replace Khamzat Chimaev against Whittaker in the Saturday’s main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While many expected a close contest, Whittaker took less than two minutes to knock Aliskerov out.

Weighing in on his loss, Aliskerov said that he was well aware of what he was getting into while accepting the fight. Aliskerov is also a fan of Whittaker and considers it a privilege to have fought “Bobby Knuckles.”

“I have failed but it’s all good,” Aliskerov told Ushatayka (translation via Red Corner MMA ). “It’s just a sport, no excuses. I was fully aware of the risks I was taking. To be honest with you, Rob has always been one of my favorite fighters. I’ve been following his career. I’m not sure how to put it the right way, it was an honor for me to fight him as he’s one of those fighters that I like a lot. Well, now I’ve gained some experience and I will be more focused in my next fights.”

While he doesn’t want to make excuses, Aliskerov mentioned that there were a number of “small issues” leading up to the fight. Aliskerov noted that adapting to the time zone in Saudi Arabia, which is 10 hours ahead of Las Vegas where the Russian usually trains, was a difficult task. Aliskerov further claimed that he hadn’t sparred for weeks prior as he essentially had to undergo two weight cuts. Aliskerov was originally scheduled to fight Antonio Trocoli at UFC on ESPN 58 on June 15 and was on the verge of making weight when he accepted the short-notice Whittaker booking.

“I got here, set my mind right but acclimatization still kills,” he said. “And not just that, I had one weight cut, and I didn’t have a single sparring session prior to that. Then another weight cut, so another two to three weeks with no sparring. So, there were a lot of small issues. But let me say it once again, I knew what I was doing. It is what it is. I wanted to have a longer fight. I wanted to show a good fight and win but it’s a sport. Things happen.”