The first couple of years of Ikram Aliskerov’s UFC tenure have been a cavalcade of injuries, fight cancellations, and opponent switches, resulting in the 32-year-old Russian middleweight having made just four appearances since earning his place on the roster with a first-round submission win over Mario Souza on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series.
“It’s always tough, especially with fight cancellations,” acknowledged Aliskerov via translator Sergey Nagorny, reflecting on the challenges he’s faced thus far as he readies to return to action against JunYong Park this weekend at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. “You’re prepared, you’re ready, you get your mind set for the opponent, for the fight, for the date, and then it gets moved.