The UFC is set to make its historic debut in Saudi Arabia this Saturday, June 22, with UFC Saudi Arabia: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The event promises to be a thrilling night of mixed martial arts action, headlined by a compelling middleweight clash between former champion Robert Whittaker and rising star Ikram Aliskerov.

Originally slated to face Khamzat Chimaev, Whittaker now finds himself up against Aliskerov, who steps in on short notice. Whittaker, currently ranked No. 3 in the middleweight division, is looking to inch closer to another title shot. Since losing his title to Israel Adesanya in 2019, Whittaker has gone 5-2, with his only losses coming against Adesanya and current champion Dricus du Plessis. Known for his well-rounded skill set, Whittaker’s striking and grappling prowess make him a formidable opponent for anyone in the division.

Aliskerov, a combat sambo world champion and pupil of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, brings an impressive 15-1 record into the octagon. His only professional loss came at the hands of Chimaev. Aliskerov has quickly made a name for himself in the UFC with first-round knockouts of Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves. A victory over Whittaker would catapult him into the top five of the middleweight rankings and establish him as a serious contender.

The co-main event features a heavyweight showdown between Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov. Pavlovich, ranked third, is looking to bounce back from a knockout loss to Tom Aspinall, while fifth-ranked Volkov aims to extend his three-fight winning streak and stake his claim for a title shot.

With a card stacked with intriguing matchups, UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov is set to deliver an unforgettable night of fights in Saudi Arabia. Tune in to ESPN+ and ABC to catch all the action live.

With a great fight card comes money to be made, we take a look at the top betting underdogs for this weekend’s stacked fight night event.

Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC Saudi Arabia Top Betting Underdogs

Ikram Aliskerov: +130

Alexander Volkov: +201

Kyung Ho Kang: +141

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Ikram Aliskerov (+130) vs. Robert Whittaker

Ikram Aliskerov was getting ready to face off against Antonio Trocoli last weekend at UFC Vegas 93 until he had to come and save the day to take on Robert Whittaker in this weekend’s main event. Aliskerov is one of the highest touted prospects in the middleweight division training with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. While this may be a big step up in competition it’s one that he is getting at the right time in more ways than one.

While Aliskerov isn’t worthy of this fight in terms of name value he is in terms of his skill as he is ready for this fight. Also, he is getting Whittaker when he’s not in his prime anymore as we’ve seen in back-to-back fights where Whittaker’s chin has been cracked. As we know Aliskerov has a dominant ground game, he also possesses one-punch knockout power which could be the equalizer in this matchup. This win for Aliskerov is going to have come early and if he puts the pressure on Whittaker early he can end it all and put him into title contention already.

Alexander Volkov (+201) vs. Sergei Pavlovic

Alexander Volkov is looking like he’s in his prime right now as he’s now won three fights in a row with all three fights coming by finish. His most recent victory against the dangerous knockout artist Tai Tuivas was his most impressive where he was able to outstrike him in round one and then dominate him with the grappling in round two eventually getting the Ezekiel Choke finish.

Volkov has the daunting task of facing off against vicious knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich who’s been on an absolute tear winning six of his eight fights in his UFC career with all six coming by first-round knockout. Aside from Tom Aspinall, Volkov is by far the most skilled striker Pavlovich has faced in his career. While it could certainly take just one punch from Pavlovich to end it all if Volkov is able to weather the early storm and drag him into deep waters as Pavlovich hasn’t seen a round two in 7 years, he could get it done and score the massive upset.

Kyung Ho Kang (+141) vs. Muin Gafurov

Kyung Ho Kang has been a mainstay in the UFC’s bantamweight division for quite some time now and while he lost a competitive fight to John Castaneda in his most recent bout he’s still 2-1 in his last three fights. He will be looking to get back on track when he takes on Muin Gafurov who’s still searching for his first win inside the Octagon.

Gafurov is on the heels of back-to-back dominant losses to John Castaneda and Said Nurmagomedov and he’s in a must-win scenario where if he doesn’t win his UFC career is pretty much over and that is what is expected after this weekend. While Gafurov is a dangerous fighter with 17 of his wins coming by finish, he hasn’t finished not one notable opponent in his entire 24-fight pro career. Being as Kang has only been finished two times, none in the UFC, in his 30 pro fights a finish on the Gafurov seems highly unlikely.

Kang has shown his well-rounded skillset makes him a tough out for up-and-coming talent and this weekend will be no different. With his technical striking and grappling, he should be able to avoid the big shots of Gafurov, pick him apart on the feet, and take him down smothering him there and dragging him into deep waters either getting the finish late or the nod on the judge’s scorecards.