UFC Saudi Arabia: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov - Main card, start time, main event walkouts, and more

The UFC Saudi Arabia (UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov) event is scheduled to take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 22, 2024. It'll be headlined by a middleweight bout between former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and rising 185-pound contender Ikram Aliskerov.

Whittaker was initially booked to face the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC Saudi Arabia headlining match. However, it was recently revealed that Chimaev was violently ill and has been replaced by Aliskerov. Presently, Whittaker holds the No. 3 position in the official UFC middleweight rankings, whereas Aliskerov is yet to enter the top 15.

Additionally, the UFC Saudi Arabia co-headlining match pits Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov against one another in a pivotal heavyweight showdown. The fight card comprises several other intriguing matchups.

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UFC Saudi Arabia: Main Card

According to the latest listing on the UFC's official website, the UFC Saudi Arabia main card portion consists of five fights, whereas its preliminary card portion comprises seven fights. The professional MMA bouts scheduled for the main card and preliminary card are as follows (*Kindly note that the fight card is subject to change):

Main Card

Middleweight bout: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov

Heavyweight bout: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov

Welterweight bout: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Featherweight bout: Muhammad Naimov vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan

Light heavyweight bout: Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir

Preliminary Card

Middleweight bout: Shara Magomedov vs. Joilton Lutterbach

Lightweight bout: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon

Welterweight bout: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby

Bantamweight bout: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Muin Gafurov

Light heavyweight bout: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro

Middleweight bout: Abu Azaitar vs. Denis Tiuliulin

Bantamweight bout: Xiao Long vs. Chang Ho Lee

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UFC Saudi Arabia: Main card start time

For viewers in the United States of America, the UFC Saudi Arabia event is set to start with the preliminary card airing at 12 pm ET / 9 am PT on Saturday (June 22, 2024). Meanwhile, for fans in the United Kingdom, the preliminary card will air at 4 pm GMT on Saturday (June 22, 2024).

Moreover, the main card will commence at 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT in the US on Saturday (June 22, 2024) for viewers in the US. In the UK, the main card start time will be 7 pm GMT on Saturday (June 22, 2024).

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What time does the Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov fight start?

Speaking of the headlining fighters, Robert Whittaker and Ikram Aliskerov, they're likely to make their walkouts to the octagon before 6 pm ET / 3 pm PT on Saturday (June 22, 2024) in the US. This would mean that in the UK, their walkouts would transpire before 10 pm GMT on Saturday (June 22, 2024).

It should be noted that the aforementioned main event entrance timings are estimates and could vary based on the length of the preceding matches.