Bet on this two-leg parlay when Robert Whittaker and Ikram Aliskerov face off at UFC Fight Night

UFC Fight Night returns this week at Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.

The main event is a middleweight bout between third-ranked Robert Whittaker and ascending star Ikram Aliskerov, who has made quite the splash through his first two UFC fights, viciously knocking out Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves.

The Russian fighter has his first real test against Whittaker on Saturday night. Can he continue his meteoric rise, or will “Bobby Knuckles” slow him down and keep himself in contention for the middleweight belt?

Let’s break it down and offer a best bet for the bout.

(Main Card, 3 p.m. ET Saturday, ABC/ESPN+)

An unexpected illness forced Khamzat Chimaev to pull out of this main event fight, but Aliskerov did not hesitate to jump at the opportunity to fill in for him.

Despite just two UFC fights, Aliskerov’s undeniable talent and convincing wins have allowed him to jump the line of other contenders for a shot at Whittaker, the former middleweight champ and a gatekeeper of sorts in the middleweight division. A win over Whittaker could put Ikram in position for a title shot.

Aliskerov boasts a 15-1 professional record, which includes the two aforementioned UFC fights. Each of those bouts ended in the first round via KO or TKO.

However, this fight will not be as straightforward as the ones he has faced versus Hawes and Alves. Whittaker is a former champion who has only lost three fights in the last 10 years in the middleweight division, with two of those coming to the legendary Israel Adesanya and one against current champion Dricus du Plessis.

It won’t be nearly as simple for Aliskerov to secure a win over Whittaker as in his previous fights, especially since this one is on short notice. Aliskerov did not have much time to prepare for “Bobby Knuckles,” while the latter was already preparing for a fighter similar to Aliskerov in Chimaev.

Another potential issue for Ikram is that this fight is a five-rounder, and he has never had to get in shape for a battle of that duration. Again, this is on short notice, too.

Further, Aliskerov’s past three fights have ended in the first round, so he has not had to dig deep in later rounds in the recent past to come away with wins, whereas Whittaker’s fights have gone to decision in six of his past seven bouts. He embraces trying to outscore and outwill opponents, which should frustrate Aliskerov.

If Aliskerov does not get an early-fight KO or TKO, his tank will be tested. But don’t expect him to be knocked out, especially since Whittaker has not KO’d anyone since 2017.

This fight should last over 2.5 rounds, as Whittaker’s game plan will not be to trade big shots with a heavy-handed fighter like Aliskerov. His experience, poise and patience will keep him from letting the moment or ego move him off of this strategy.

Let’s go with a correlated parlay of Whittaker to win by decision and the bout to go over 2.5 rounds.

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