Robert Whittaker Says New Opponent May Be 'More Dangerous' Than Khamzat

Robert Whittaker expected to fight Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but will instead face Ikram Aliskerov after Borz was forced out of the scrap with an illness that hospitalized him. So, much easier fight, right?!

Not so fast ... according to 33-year-old Whittaker himself!

"I am thankful for [Aliskerov] to step up to the plate to fight, and a lot of fans probably don't know how dangerous this guy is. And, in a lot of ways, this guy is more dangerous than Chimaev was, especially mentality-wise, because he has nothing to lose and only everything to gain," Robert told TMZ Sports earlier this week.

He continued ... "Skill set-wise, he's a dangerous guy. And, I understand the threat he brings. And, I'm going to meet that. I'm going to take the fight to him come Saturday."

While Khamzat might be undefeated (13-0), Ikram's record isn't too shabby.

In fact, his only career defeat came at the hands of Chimaev back in 2019 -- before either was signed to the UFC (they fought in a promotion called Brave CF 23). KC won by knockout.

Both Robert and Ikram are coming off wins. Whittaker beat Paulo Costa at UFC 298 ... and Aliskerov a victory versus Warlley Alves at UFC 294.

We also asked RW about the decision to take the fight. After all, he's ranked third, while IA isn't ranked ... arguably a big risk for Whittaker were he to lose.

"Mate, it's my job. This is what I get paid to do. This is what I do. This is how I provide for my family this is yeah this is what the job entails."

As for having to now train for a new opponent with a different style ... Whittaker ain't worried.

"I just lean on my experience. I've been doing this for a long time. I've got a lot of fights under my belt. And, that's what makes these transitions as easy as can be. You know, I can fall back on a decade of training and fights to see me through."