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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Robert Whittaker is still a very bad man.

After losing Khamzat Chimaev as an opponent just days out from the UFC Saudi Arabia main event, the former middleweight champion didn’t blink when he was offered a fight against highly touted prospect Ikram Aliskerov. Whittaker then proved there are levels to this game after he clipped Aliskerov with a stiff left during an early exchange that led to the finish just seconds later.

With Aliskerov on skates, Whittaker surged forward with a blistering combination, including a vicious uppercut that dropped his opponent to the canvas. Whittaker followed up with a few more punches for good measure before referee Marc Goddard swooped in to save Aliskerov from further harm.

The official stoppage came at just 1:49 in the opening round.

“I told you, I told everybody, I’m the boogeyman,” Whittaker shouted after his latest win. “I’m the most dangerous matchup for anyone in the division. Because I’m the best in the world. I’ll take any fight, any time. I’ll fight anyone.”

There was obvious danger for Whittaker in the fight because it was a high risk, low reward situation going up against a largely unproven yet potentially lethal opponent like Aliskerov. That didn’t deter Whittaker as he came out guns blazing from the first exchange and he showed no fear stepping into the pocket to throw down with Aliskerov.

As soon as he started landing strikes, Whittaker became a headhunter and that’s when he launched the left hand that cracked Aliskerov and put him on wobbly legs.

Whittaker smelled blood in the water and he overwhelmed Aliskerov with strikes, which included that jaw-dropping knockout shot that led to the finish. In the end, Whittaker knew that his cage savvy would serve as a great foundation to beat Aliskerov and hand him only the second loss of his career.

“It was experience,” Whittaker said. “I’ve been in this position 100 times. I told you I was going to be the hunter and that’s exactly what I did.”

With the win, Whittaker puts himself back in position to potentially compete in a No. 1 contender’s bout against somebody like Sean Strickland or possibly even serve as a backup for the middleweight title fight between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 in Australia on Aug. 17.

From the sound of things, Whittaker is more than happy to accept that invitation if offered.

“I’m healthy, I’m hearty,” Whittaker said. “Let’s go.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Nasty!
| BJPenn.com

UFC

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir and Johnny Walker threw down earlier tonight (Sat. June 22, 2024) live on ABC inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In his first knockout win in five years, Oezdemir viciously stopped Walker inside the very first round.

This one didn’t last too long. Oezdemir demonstrated that he understood the match up well, pressuring Walker from the first bell. Walker tried to keep his distance with low kicks, but Oezdemir’s punches were coming scary close right away, and he was landing good kicks himself.

The end came when an Oezdemir left hook floored Walker. The Brazilian returned to his feet and was able to recover a little bit, but “No Time” stayed on him. Punching in combination along the fence, Oezdemir timed an uppercut that sat Walker down a second time. There would be no further recovery, as Oezdemir smashed Walker with a follow up shot that sent him deep into unconsciousness.

Check out the highlight clip below:

As brutal a loss as this was for Walker, it was an equally great win for the Swiss athlete. Oezdemir has now won two in a row via stoppage, and after the win, he called out former champions Jan Blachowicz and Jamahal Hill. Either fight would make sense for Oezdemir, who likely returns to the Top Five off the strength of this victory.

For complete UFC Saudi Arabia results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Volkan Oezdemir added to his highlight reel with a devastating first-round knockout of Johnny Walker to kick off the UFC Saudi Arabia main card Saturday.

The one-time light heavyweight title challenger was looking for the finish from the first exchange and showed relentless pressure coming after Walker. After rattling the Brazilian with a stiff left hand, it was an uppercut from Oezdemir that effectively ended Walker’s night, though the referee didn’t jump in quick enough to stop the fight.

As a result, Oezdemir delivered one more right hand that put Walker to sleep in scary fashion. Walke was left laid out flat on the floor before eventually being revived to receive medical attention. The end of the fight came at 2:28 in the opening round.

Watch the finish below.

While Walker remained down after the knockout, Oezdemir refused to celebrate until his opponent got back up on his stool. Only then was Oezdemir able to enjoy his first knockout since 2019, when he finished Ilir Latifi.

“It feels great,” Oezdemir said about the win. “‘No Time’ is back. The uppercut was key with him. It’s a little bit crazy in the first two minutes. That’s Johnny Walker, he’s crazy.

“My only direction is the top. The belt is my destiny. The next guy I want to fight might be Jamahal Hill or [Jan] Blachowicz. I really don’t give a f*ck, I need somebody on the top.”

A constant threat at light heavyweight, Oezdemir arguably looked better than ever on Saturday as he came after Walker and never allowed the flashy striker to get any kind of rhythm going in the fight. Once Oezdemir found his range, he unloaded shots until he finally set up the knockout after Walker ducked his head into an uppercut.

The win should put Oezdemir in position for one of those marquee fights he wants, especially with his previous victory coming over rising star Bogdan Guskov in September 2023. As for Walker, he’s now suffered two knockout losses in a row to Oezdemir and Magomed Ankalaev.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Brazilian light heavyweight contender, Johnny Walker has succumbed to strikes for the second time in as many fights tonight in the main card opener of UFC Saudi Arabia — dropping a first round KO defeat to former title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir in Riyadh.

Walker, the current number seven ranked light heavyweight challenger, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC Vegas 84 back in January, dropping a second round knockout loss to former title chaser, Magomed Ankalaev in the pair’s immediate rematch.

And dropping a stunning knockout loss to Switzerland striker, Oezdemir tonight in Saudi Arabia, perennial contender, Walker managed to survive an initial barrage against the Fribourg native — before he was then dropped for a second time at the fence, and then rendered unconscious with a slew of strikes at the fence.

Below, catch the highlights from Volkan Oezdemir’s win over Johnny Walker at UFC Saudi Arabia

LowKickMMA.com

For the first time, the UFC octagon is in Saudi Arabia.  Kingdom Arena in Riyadh hosts Saturday’s fight card.  The event is headlined by a middleweight bout between former champion Robert Whittaker and fast-rising Ikram Aliskerov.  

Whittaker was originally slated to face 11th-ranked Khamzat Chimaev in the headlining bout but Chimaev was forced to withdrawal due to illness. Whittaker will enter the fight coming off a decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February. Aliskerov is riding a seven-fight winning streak with his only career loss coming to Chimaev. 

Start Time:

• Main Card begins at 3 p.m. ET (on ABC and ESPN+

• Preliminary Card begins at Noon ET on ESPN/ESPN+

UFC Saudi Arabia Live Results and Fight Analytics

UFC Saudi Arabia Official Results

Main Card (on ABC and ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET

• Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov
• Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
• Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Antonio Trocoli
• Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir

Preliminary Card (on ESPN/ESPN+ at Noon ET)

• Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon
• Muhammad Naimov vs. Felipe Lima
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby
• Kang Kyung-ho vs. Muin Gafurov
• Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Xiao Long vs. Lee Chang-ho

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