Robert Whittaker Gives Saudi Arabian Crowd Something to Remember

There was talk leading up to Robert Whittaker’s fight at the first UFC event in Saudi Arabia that the former middleweight was chinny. Maybe he didn’t have the power or ability he used to. But MMAfighting latest news shows that Whittaker isn’t interested in being a gatekeeper.

He still wants to be the champion. Whittaker took a step toward returning to the championship picture by beating Ikram Aliskerov in 79 seconds in an impressive performance. Whittaker figured out Aliskerov’s feints and capitalized on them with his own combinations.

That’s the most significant benefit of experience. Whittaker’s fight with Aliskerov was his 33rd professional fight. Aliskerov has only fought professionally 17 times.

This was only Aliskerov’s third fight on the UFC’s main roster after he joined the promotion following a strong performance on Dana White’s Contender Series. While Alisekerov’s only other professional loss was to Khamzat Chimaev before either man reached the UFC, this fight proved Aliskerov needs to develop more before he can challenge for the top.

Whittaker was initially supposed to fight Chimaev, who had to pull out due to illness. A win over Aliskerov won’t give Whittaker another chance to win the belt, but it will keep him among the top contenders.

Whittaker has made a career of fighting the top guys. He won’t be easy for anyone to take down.

Volkov Picks Apart Pavlovich

Alexander Volkov was more than comfortable during his heavyweight fight with former sparring partner Sergei Pavlovich. Anyone looking at the best MMA news site will see that in between rounds, Volkov was getting his hair combed out of his eyes by his trainer. It didn’t seem like Volkov was worried about the tremendous power of the former interim heavyweight title challenger.

For the most part, Volkov utilized his long reach to keep Pavlovich from throwing his power strikes. Volkov circled outside the cage, utilizing his jab to grind his way to a unanimous decision. Volkov has won four fights in a row and is starting to look like a possible heavyweight contender. Volkov, 35, is a former Bellator champion.

If Volkov picks up a few more wins like this, he could also end up challenging for a UFC belt.

Gastelum Begs for Another Chance

Kelvin Gastelum has been in the UFC for over a decade. He is a former middleweight title challenger with more than his fair share of weight issues. While Gastelum added another win over Daniel Rodriguez, many people weren’t impressed because the fight had to be made at a catchweight after Gastelum missed weight.

UFC CEO Dana White isn’t happy. Gastelum teared up during his post-fight interview, during which he apologized to everyone in the organization for his unprofessional behavior. But Gastelum even mentioned that it isn’t the first time he has apologized for the same issue.

It will be up to White to see if he gets more fighting opportunities with the promotion. Rodriguez had voiced his disappointment about Gastelum’s weight miss before the fight started. While Rodriguez fought valiantly, he wasn’t able to do enough to grab a win.

Magomedov Turns in Lackluster Performance

Sharabutdin Magomedov picked up a third-round knockout win over Antonio Trocoli. That should be good enough for most fans. But it is hard not to feel like Magomedov could’ve been more effective.

Magomedov’s opponent, Antonio Trocoli, had flown to Saudi Arabia at the last minute because of a late schedule change. Magomedov’s original opponent, Joilton Lutterbach, was forced to withdraw after failing a drug test. People looking at MMA breaking news will see that Trocoli had his moments during this fight.

During the second round, Trocoli was deep into a takedown, and he didn’t complete it because Magomedov grabbed the cage illegally. While he was warned about the fence grab, referee Marc Goddard didn’t take a point from Magomedov.

Oezdemir Flatlines Walker

Volkan Oezdemir put to rest the idea that the new UFC gloves made it nearly impossible to knock out your opponent. Oezdemir survived the wild, typical Johnny Walker start to a light heavyweight fight. Walker came out and took some chances with aggression early.

When a jumping knee didn’t connect for Walker, he didn’t have much of a recovery plan. Oezdemir, a former light heavyweight title challenger, walked Walker down and brutalized him with punches. When Oezdemir trapped Walker against the side of the cage, he sent him sprawling to the canvas with an aggressive strike.

When Walker was on the canvas, Oezdemir loaded up and hit him with another legal striker that put him unconscious. Walker has now been knocked out six times in his career. Oezdemir earned the stoppage in this fight in less than 2.5 minutes.

Nasrat Haqparast Survives War With Jared Gordon

The preliminary card was for hardcore fans who like seeing fights go the distance. Nasrat Haqparast’s lightweight fight with Jared Gordon was the featured prelim and ended up being the third split decision of the night. Haqparast and Gordon engaged in a brutal, striking affair.

While Gordon mixed in some takedowns, he landed many power shots in the second and third rounds. Overall, between the two men, 287 significant strikes landed. In the third round, likely the round dedicated to who won the fight, Haqparast finished with a 74-70 edge in strikes.

Many people watching the fight live sent messages on social media that they thought Gordon had won due to landing more powerful blows. But the judges disagreed.

Here’s a look at the other fights on this card not mentioned above:

• Welterweight, Rinat Fakhretdinov win by split decision over Nicolas Dalby, 29-28 (Fakhretdinov x2), 29-28 (Dalby)
• Bantamweight, Muin Gafurov win by decision Kang Kyung-ho, 30-27 x3
• Light heavyweight, Magomed Gadzhiyasulov win by major decision over Brendson Ribeiro, 29-28 (Gadzhiyasulov x2), 28-28 (draw)
• Bantamweight, Lee Chang-ho win by split decision over Xiao Long, 29-28 (Lee x2) 29-28 (Long)
• Featherweight, Felipe Lima win by submission over Muhammad Naimov Round 3 1:15

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.