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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Matt Erickson

UFC on ABC 6: How to watch Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov, start time, Saudi Arabia fight card, odds, more

UFC Ikram Aliskerov Robert Whittaker ABC 6 ESPN Alexander Volkov Sergei Pavlovich Khamzat Chimaev Saudi Arabia Christian Leroy Duncan

The UFC heads to Saudi Arabia this week for the first time, and a hastily assembled new middleweight headliner tops the card.

Here’s how to watch UFC on ABC 6 with a former 185-pound champion in the main event, other bangers in Riyadh.

Broadcast and streaming info

Daniel Cormier, Michael Bisping, Jon Anik

UFC on ABC 6 has a main card that starts at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. The preliminary card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ at noon ET.

Veteran broadcaster Dan Hellie serves as desk anchor and host at UFC on ABC 6. “The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner Michael Chiesa joins him as a desk analyst.

John Gooden is on assignment to conduct pre- and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC on ABC 6 card. He will also provide reports with additional real-time updates for the event.

Jon Anik will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC on ABC 6. He will command play-by-play alongside color commentators and UFC Hall of Famers Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping.

– Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie

Main event: Robert Whittaker

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 17: Robert Whittaker of New Zealand celebrates defeating Paulo Costa of Brazil in their middleweight fight during UFC 298 at Honda Center on February 17, 2024 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Record: 25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC
Opponent: Ikram Aliskerov (15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Derek Brunson, Ronaldo Souza, Yoel Romero (twice), Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum, Marvin Vettori, Paulo Costa
Misc.: Other than two losses to former champion Israel Adesanya and one to current champ Dricus du Plessis, Whittaker has dominated the 185-pound division in the past 10 years. He lost the title to Adesanya in 2019, lost another shot in 2022, and has been trying to work his way back. He was set to take on Khamzat Chimaev in the headliner until just a few days ago, when Chimaev pulled out.

Main event: Ikram Aliskerov

Ikram Aliskerov def. Warlley Alves, UFC 294

Record: 15-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC
Opponent: Robert Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Denis Tiuliulin, Phil Hawes, Warlley Alves
Misc.: Aliskerov was in the UFC on ESPN 58 co-main event until he was pulled at the 11th hour to take the main event with Whittaker when Khamzat Chimaev pulled out. Coincidentally, the only loss of Aliskerov’s career came to Chimaev when they fought for Brave FC in 2019.

Co-main event: Sergei Pavlovich

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 22: Sergei Pavlovich of Russia reacts after his TKO victory over Curtis Blaydes in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Record: 18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC
Opponent: Alexander Volkov (37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Key wins: Maurice Greene, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa, Curtis Blaydes
Misc.: After a six-fight winning streak of first-round knockouts, Pavlovich got brought back down a peg by Tom Aspinall with a 69-second knockout this past November to win the interim heavyweight title.

Co-main event: Alexander Volkov

Sep 9, 2023; Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA; Alexander Volkov (blue gloves) reacts during his fight with Tai Tuivasa (red gloves) in UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports

Record: 37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC
Opponent: Sergei Pavlovich (18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Key wins: Toy Nelson, Stefan Struve, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, Marcin Tybura, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexandr Romanov, Tai Tuivasa
Misc.: Volkov has three straight stoppage wins since a loss a little more than two years ago to current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

UFC debut: Felipe Lima

Record: 12-1
Opponent: Muhammad Naimov (11-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Misc.: 26-year-old Brazilian won the Oktagon MMA bantamweight title in 2023. He trains in Sweden alongside Alexander Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi and Khamzat Chimaev.

UFC debut: Joilton Lutterbach

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – JUNE 09: Joilton Lutterbach steps onto the scale during the PFL 4 weigh-ins at Ocean Casino Resort on June 9, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Cooper Neill)

Record: 38-10
Opponent: Shara Magomedov (12-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Misc.: 31-year-old has competed for seemingly every organization across many different disciplines and finally finds himself in the UFC.

UFC debut: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov

Record: 8-0
Opponent: Brendson Ribeiro (15-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Misc.: Teammate of UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev got his start in the promotion with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023.

UFC debuts: ChangHo Lee vs. Xiao Long

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 26: Xiao Long prepares to fight Christian Quinonez in a bantamweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season 5, week 9 at UFC APEX on October 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Records: ChangHo Lee (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) vs. Xiao Long (26-8 MMA, 0-0 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Misc.: 26-year-old Chinese standout Long finally meets 30-year-old South Korean Lee in twice-delayed Road to UFC bout.