Overnight, eagle-eyed fans noticed an anticipated UFC 308 title eliminator between former champion, Robert Whittaker and the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev was off as the slated co-main event in Abu Dhabi, UAE — before it was immediately redrafted as the night’s penultimate outing.
Whittaker, a former undisputed middleweight champion, most recently landed an impressive first round win over short-notice replacement, Ikram Aliskerov in Saudi Arabia — finishing the Russian with a stunning knockout victory in the promotion’s first outing in Riyadh.
As for Chechen-born challenger, Khamzat Chimaev, the unbeaten contender co-headlined UFC 294 back in October of last year against former undisputed welterweight champion and pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman in a controversial majority decision win in Abu Dhabi, UAE.