The UFC makes its highly anticipated debut at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend. Headlining this monumental fight card are two of the best middleweight contenders the UFC has to offer, former undisputed middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and surging prospect Ikram Aliskerov.

This fight card was originally slated for Robert Whittaker to take on Khmazat Chimaev but Chimaev had to withdraw due to sickness. The UFC then called Aliskerov who was getting ready for a fight last weekend at UFC Vegas 93 to headline and save this weekend's event and that's exactly what he did.

With that said, we take a look at this main event fight and give out our prediction and pick for this Whittaker-Aliskerov matchup at UFC Saudi Arabia.

(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC Saudi Arabia: Robert Whittaker Prediction

Robert Whittaker (25-7)?was getting ready to face the big hype train, Khamzat Chimaev, only to pull out of yet another fight. Now, Whittaker will have to go on and try to derail another hype train Ikram Aliskerov who's taken the UFC's middleweight division by storm with back-to-back knockouts to kickstart his UFC career.

The former middleweight champion has faced numerous up-and-coming talent over his years at the top of the middleweight division. The same has happened every time, and Whittaker shows that there are levels to this.

He is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the middleweight division and while Whittaker is an exceptional wrestler, he normally utilizes his wrestling to keep this fight on his feet.

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While on his feet, Whittaker does a great job of getting in and out of range without getting hit with his leaping style of movement.

• That movement also generates a ton of power where Whittaker has amassed 9 knockouts in his 32 professional fights.

In this matchup against Aliskerov, Whittaker is getting a protege of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev so he will be getting a healthy dose of Dagestani wrestling with heavy strikes on the feet.

He must be weary of the unorthodox striking of Aliskerov who may not be one to outstrike his opponents but he has that one-punch knockout power that if he lands could be it.

However, Whittaker has shown to have a good chin only being finished by the current and former middleweight champions at 185 lbs and his movement will give an inexperienced fighter like Aliskerov some trouble to get his timing down.

• As long as Whittaker can avoid the big shots from Aliskerov, defend the takedowns, and drag him into deep waters he can extend his winning streak to two in a row this weekend.

UFC Saudi Arabia: Ikram Aliskerov Prediction

Ikram Aliskerov (15-1)?was getting ready to face off against a much more inferior fighter Antonio Trocoli a week ago but he then answered the call to save this weekend's main event after the fallout between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker.

• Now, Aliskerov gets the chance of a lifetime to not only beat a former undisputed champion but also put himself right into title contention and inside the top 5 of the rankings.
• Aliskerov is a longtime training partner of both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev so you know what you're getting from him each time he steps inside the Octagon.

That is a heavy grappling pace, with vicious ground and pound, and some unorthodox striking with deceptive power on the feet.

The unpredictability of Aliskerov makes this a tough matchup for Whittaker.

Aliskerov will be the one to press forward and look to bring the fight to Whittaker right from the jump and as we've seen in Whittaker's last two fights the pressure tends to break him early when he was rocked by a spinning wheel kick from Costa and getting knocked out by current champ Dricus Du Plessis.

Aliskerov has everything to gain and nothing to lose in this matchup which makes him even more dangerous in this fight. He can take risks in this fight that he normally wouldn't in other fights and that is going to make this a tough time for Whittaker.

If Aliskerov can put the pressure on Whittaker early and not give the space to operate on the feet then he has a shot at scoring a huge upset and getting the biggest win of his career.

UFC SAUDI ARABIA: ROBERT WHITTAKER VS. IKRAM ALISKEROV FANDUEL ODDS FOR JUNE 22ND

MONEY LINE

• ROBERT WHITTAKER: -148
• IKRAM ALISKEROV: +126

PROPS

• ROBERT WHITTAKER BY POINTS: +250
• ROBERT WHITTAKER BY SUBMISSION: +1800
• ROBERT WHITTAKER BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +210
• IKRAM ALISKEROV BY POINTS: +800
• IKRAM ALISKEROV BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +260
• IKRAM ALISKEROV BY SUBMISSION: +750

OVER/UNDER (ROUNDS TOTAL)

• OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-156)
• UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (+124)

BEST UFC SAUDI ARABIA ODDS FOR ROBERT WHITTAKER VS. IKRAM ALISKEROV

• Ikram Aliskerov is the underdog. Caesars Sportsbook currently has the best odds at (+130)

• Robert Whittaker is the favorite against Ikram Aliskerov. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the best odds at (-148)
• FanDuel currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 2.5 Rounds (-156) for the over, and (+124) for the under

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FINAL WHITTAKER-ALISKEROV PICK & PREDICTION

This is a fantastic matchup in the middleweight division for the main event for this monumental event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both fighters will be looking to keep their momentum going and surge up the middleweight rankings as look for a potential title shot.

Ultimately, it's going to be Whittaker's striking and movement on the feet that's going to be a problem for Aliskerov.

Even though Aliskerov is coming off a knockout against Phil Hawes, he had trouble early on as he was getting tagged by Hawes prior to landing the kill shot.

As long as Whittaker can keep this fight standing and avoid the big power shots of Aliskerov he should be able to run circles around him, drag him into deep waters, and potentially get a late finish or the nod on the judge's scorecards

FINAL WHITTAKER-ALISKEROV PICK & PREDICTION: ROBERT WHITTAKER (-148)

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