Robert Whittaker Loses to Ikram Aliskerov's Opponent Predecessor

Robert Whittaker's former opponent Ikram Aliskerov is set to fight Brunno Ferreira on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 280.

Aliskerov enters his second fight of 2026, looking to extend his winning streak to three after losing to Robert Whittaker.

He bounced back with a first-round stoppage of Andre Muniz and a unanimous decision win over JunYong Park.

Ferreira looks to get back on track after a knockout loss against Gregory Rodrigues.

That result ended a three-fight winning streak, which included wins over Armen Petrosyan, Jackson McVey, and Marvin Vettori.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom predicts Aliskerov will win via kimura submission by the end of the second frame.

The oddsmakers and the public favor Aliskerov, listing him -300 and Ferreira +235 via FanDuel.

Aliskerov and Ferreira are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 12:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, with the fight streaming live on Paramount+.

Aliskerov seems more interested in getting back to his grappling and controlling fights after his knockout loss to Robert Whittaker.

Ferreira can bolster his stock with an upset win, but he doesn't have the wrestling ability to dictate the terms of this fight.

The UFC matchmakers have put Aliskerov in a favorable position, given his skills and Ferreira's recent loss