UFC Saudi Arabia witnessed Robert Whittaker bulldoze through Ikram Aliskerov within the very first round of their fight, as ‘The Reaper’ sent forth a fist that knocked the Dagestani out. Aliskerov was boasting of a 7-fight win streak before entering the Octagon in Riyadh, but little did he know that his plans would get smashed with an upsetting defeat. Hours after the battle’s conclusion for the spot of the number one contender in the middleweight division, Aliskerov finally came forward and revealed the reasons for his defeat.

Aliskerov, without a doubt, displayed the spirit of true sportsmanship after his first loss in the UFC. Keeping his head up high, the fighter took to X and claimed that he didn’t regret anything. He was simply grateful for the experience and assured the fight fans that he would learn from it. But what did he put his blames on? Let’s find out.

Ikram Aliskerov reveals why he lost against Robert Whittaker

Following the outcome of UFC Saudi Arabia, Aliskerov was interviewed by Ushatayka, wherein the fighter, despite the loss, kept his feet rooted. He claimed that he was completely aware of the risks that he was taking and there were no excuses coming out of him. The Dagestani fighter was, in fact, glad to have fought Whittaker. He confirmed his admiration towards ‘The Reaper’ and claimed that he had learned his lesson to be more focused in his upcoming fights. But there were a few things that held Aliskerov back.

Aliskerov blamed acclimatization first, quoting, “I got here, set my mind right. But acclimatization still kills.” But the major issues came with his weight cut. He revealed that due to his weight cuts, he wasn’t able to spar, even for one single time. Just as he was about to cope with it, he had to undergo yet another weight cut, resulting in further cancellation of sparring sessions. He said, “I had one weight cut and I didn’t have a single sparring session prior to that. Then one more weight cut. So another 2-3 weeks with no sparring.”

Thereafter, the interviewer asked about the time when the fighter overcut his weight. Surprisingly, no denial came from the mixed martial artist. He declared that his weight reduced drastically without any significant effort. “Yes, the weight was going away very easy. I didn’t even have to try hard. My body was exhausted apparently. I spent some time in the sauna and the weight went down drastically. That’s why I overcut weight. Almost for 2 pounds,” revealed Aliskerov.

Even though Aliskerov faced a truly humiliating defeat, he wasn’t abandoned by his fellow Dagestanis. Let’s see what the UFC lightweight champion and his mentor had to tell Aliskerov about his fight with Whittaker.

Aliskerov gets backed by fellow Dagestani fighters

Following the events of UFC’s debut in Saudi Arabia, Islam Makhachev took to Instagram and put on a story to encourage his countrymate. Makhachev comforted Aliskerov by saying that the latter’s “best days are still ahead.” The UFC lightweight champion seemed to have complete faith in Aliskerov as he claimed that the team knew what he was capable of.

Not just Makhachev, but his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, had also previously lifted Aliskerov high. He complimented Aliskerov’s work ethic and deemed him worthy of being the “future star” in the UFC’s middleweight division. Needless to say, the fighter was pretty grounded after his defeat but certainly, his best days are ahead of him.

What are your thoughts on Aliskerov’s defeat? Do you also think his weight cut had a big role in him losing the fight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.