UFC Fight Night is just a few hours away, and the fans are all excited about the event. One of the biggest attractions of the night is the middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Ikram Aliskerov. Aliskerov was roped in as a last-minute replacement for Khamzat Chimaev to face the former champion.

Former UFC Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and former UFC contender Chael Sonnen took to their podcast to discuss the fight. While the pair is super excited to witness the clash, Sonnen feels there might be an upset lurking around. Let us find out why the fan-favorite analyst feels like that.

Former UFC fighter picks Ikram Aliskerov as the favorite for UFC Fight Night

Khamzat Chimaev surprised fans when he announced his withdrawal from his clash against Robert Whittaker because of an illness. However, the UFC has done a fantastic job of choosing his replacement. 31-year-old Ikram Aliskerov is currently on the rise in the division. The Dagestani fighter is unbeaten in his last two fights and now finds himself against one of the best in the division. However, despite being an underdog, Chael Sonnen feels he can cause an upset. While speaking to Daniel Cormier on his ‘Good Guy/ Bad Guy’ podcast on ESPN MMA, he said, “This has upset written all over it. And I do not take a pleasure in saying that like.”

‘The Reaper’ agreed to fight Aliskerov in a very short time, which Sonnen feels is worth some credit. However, the former fighter feels that the Dagestani fighter has the skill set to take on the former champion. Hailing from Dagestan, the 31-year-old not only has the wrestling skills but also has the knockout power. The 47-year-old then pointed out the record of Aliskerov and said, “And you know what Ikram reminds me of. You go look at Ikram’s record. Go to Sherdog or something, just bring his record up and then bring up the record of Dricus Du Plessis. And you were going to see more similarities popping off that page. You go, oh my goodness, what exactly has Robert gotten himself into?”

Despite being projected as an underdog worthy of causing an upset, Aliskerov is getting into the fight with all his preparations dialed in. The pair will take on each other in a five-round fight which many feel is the strength of Whittaker. However, the Dagestani fighter has taken the help of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov just to stay a step ahead.

Ikram takes help from ‘The Eagle’ before his next big clash

Stepping into the main event against Robert Whittaker is a lifetime opportunity for Ikram Aliskerov. A win against ‘The Reaper’ might just help the Dagestani fighter get a title shot soon. With such high stakes, the 31-year-old has now taken the help of ‘The Eagle’. The former champion has had a history with Aliskerov as he trained with the coaches who came from Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s gym.

Aliskerov sat down for an interview with RedCornerMMA before his big fight and shared the advice he received from the 29-0 fighter. The Dagestani fighter said, “After I took the fight I called Khabib. He said, ‘You can’t miss these chances. You have to fly here and sweat for 2-3 days’.”

The 31-year-old then shared the details of the game plan shared by the former champion. ‘The Eagle’ retired from the sport in 2020 and since then has taken a liking for coaching and uses his knowledge to help his teammates. This time Aliskerov took out time to discuss the fight and said, “We discussed (the fight). (He said) ‘Pay attention because he’s a striker, be attentive and everything will work out’.”

Aliskerov has impressed many even with his limited appearances in the UFC. However, facing Whittaker will be a completely different ball game for him. While the preparations are done and dusted, can he cause an upset against ‘The Reaper’?

Does Ikram Aliskerov have what it takes to be a future title contender in the middleweight division? Let us know about your thoughts below.