Post-UFC Saudi Arabia rankings update: Robert Whittaker snubbed, Johnny Walker pays for violent KO
The UFC Saudi Arabia fight card was the latest presentation by the world's premier MMA organization. The event transpired at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 22, 2024.
Its headlining match witnessed former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker score a spectacular first-round KO victory against rising contender Ikram Aliskerov.
Additionally, the co-headlining match was a heavyweight clash between former training partners, which saw Alexander Volkov defeat Sergei Pavlovich via unanimous decision. The card featured several other exciting fights as well, the results of which have brought about a few changes in the official UFC rankings.
As indicated by John Morgan on X, Robert Whittaker's ranking remained the same despite his incredible win at UFC Saudi Arabia. In the latest ranking update, Whittaker retained his No. 3 position in the middleweight division.
Meanwhile, former UFC middleweight champions Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland remain in the No. 2 and No. 1 spots respectively.
Moreover, after his win over fellow Russian MMA stalwart Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov moved from No. 5 to No. 3 in the heavyweight rankings. As for Pavlovich, he dropped from No. 3 to No. 5.
Elsewhere on the UFC Saudi Arabia card, Volkan Oezdemir bested Johnny Walker via first-round KO in a light heavyweight bout. The win boosted Oezdemir from No. 9 to No. 7 in the light heavyweight rankings, whereas Walker dropped from No. 7 to No. 9 on the list.
UFC rankings update fallout: Robert Whittaker's title quest, Johnny Walker arrives at a crossroads
During his UFC Saudi Arabia post-fight press conference, Robert Whittaker, who's won his past two fights, appeared to be in high spirits. 'The Reaper' was originally booked to fight the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev at the event, who fell ill and was replaced by Ikram Aliskerov. Chimaev later signaled that he wasn't done with Whittaker.
The former middleweight kingpin seemingly shrugged off Chimaev's words and has his sights set on potentially fighting the winner of the Dricus du Plessis-Israel Adesanya UFC middleweight title fight. Whether the UFC chooses to give Whittaker a shot at that matchup's winner, or hands it to Sean Strickland instead, remains to be seen.
While Whittaker gained tremendous momentum, despite it not reflecting in the official rankings, UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker suffered another major setback. Walker is now on a two-fight losing streak, with both those defeats coming via KO in 2024.
The Brazilian fighter, who was once seen as a future champion, appears to be at a crossroads in his MMA career, given his history of vicious KO/TKO losses. Nevertheless, Walker has implied that he'll be back.