Whittaker v Aliskerov: All you need to know about UFC Saudi Arabia in Riyadh

Former middleweight champion Whittaker headlines the 12-fight card against late replacement Aliskerov

Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will headline UFC Saudi Arabia. Getty

Saudi Arabia has quickly become the new boxing capital of the world, and now MMA is heading to the kingdom for the UFC's debut appearance in Riyadh. Here is everything you need to know about UFC Saudi Arabia.

What is it?

UFC Saudi Arabia is a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the largest MMA promotion in the world. It will feature a total of 12 fights, including five on the main card and seven on the preliminaries. It will be the first time the UFC has hosted an event in Saudi Arabia.

Where is it?

The UFC Saudi Arabia takes place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. It's the same venue that's hosted several major boxing fights, including most recently, the undisputed heavyweight world title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

When is it?

On Saturday, June 22, with the event set to start at 11pm local time (midnight UAE).

Who’s fighting?

The event was originally set to be headlined by Khamzat Chimaev against former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. However, Dubai-based Chimaev was forced to pull out of the bout last week due to "persistent illness".

Australian Whittaker will not face Ikram Aliskerov of Russia.

Whittaker, 33, holds a 25-7 (win/loss) record as a professional. He faces Aliskerov, whose only defeat in 16 fights came against Chimaev at Brave CF 21 in April 2019. Since then, he’s undefeated in seven fights, including his last two appearances in the UFC.

Other prominent bouts include an all-Russian clash at heavyweight between Sergei Pavlovich (18-2) and Alexander Volkov (37-10), and an all-American welterweight contest between Kelvin Gastelum (18-9) and Daniel Rodriguez (17-4).

UFC Saudi Arabia fight card

Main card

Middleweight: Robert Whittaker v Ikram Aliskerov

Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich v Alexander Volkov

Welterweight: Kelvin Gastelum v Daniel Rodriguez

Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov v Melsik Baghdasaryan

Lightweight: Johnny Walker v Volkan Oezdemir

Preliminary Card

Middleweight: Shara Magomedov v Joilton Lutterbach

Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast v Jared Gordon

Welterweight: Rinat Fakhretdinov v Nicolas Dalby

Bantamweight: Kyung Ho Kang v Muin Gafurov

Light heavyweight: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov v Brendson Ribeiro

Middleweight: Abu Azaitar v Denis Tiuluilin

Bantamweight: Xiao Long v Chang Ho Lee

How to watch UFC Saudi Arabia

UFC Saudi Arabia is available in the UAE via StarzPlay, the UFC’s exclusive broadcast partner in the Middle East.