The careers of Khamzat Chimaev and Ikram Aliskerov are inextricably linked.
The two crossed paths in April 2019 while fighting for the Brave CF promotion in Amman, Jordan. The 180-pound catchweight bout can be watched in full above, but the short version is this: the bout didn’t go very well for Aliskerov. The Combat Sambo world champion was stunned by the jab of Chimaev on a couple occasions, and though he did defend several of Chimaev’s takedown attempts, a “Borz” uppercut turned off the lights.
Now, losing to Chimaev is no knock on Aliskerov, it’s simply a case of two very talented prospects colliding on the regional scene. Sometimes, that history produces a rematch years later on a much bigger stage, but this turn of fate is decidedly odder.
Just about a week ago, Chimaev was forced to withdraw from his planned UFC Saudi Arabia main event versus Robert Whittaker. Once again, Chimaev went down with a mystery illness, and no further details are available. Aliskerov, meanwhile, was pulled from his planned match up vs. Antonio Trocoli at the UFC Apex a week earlier to replace the unwell Chechen.
It’s a shocking turn of events. Chimaev is still undefeated and has — had? — all the hype behind him, but his inconsistency in the last couple years has really halted his would-be rise to gold. We’ve been talking about his potential title shot for years now, but he’s not really getting any closer.
Aliskerov, meanwhile, gets to swoop in on a massive opportunity after just two UFC victories. If he can upset “The Reaper,” Aliskerov will likely end up ranked ahead of Chimaev and in better position to score a title shot.
We’ll find out in mere hours at UFC Saudi Arabia.