Pushing through produced a quality win, his second straight, and elevated the Korean Top Team representative to 6-1 over his last seven contests, with his only setback during that run being a debated split decision verdict in a bout with Andre Muniz at the end of 2023. It also resulted in Park landing opposite Aliskerov this weekend in a critical matchup between a pair of competitors currently residing on the doorstep of the Top 15 in the fluid and fascinating 185-pound weight class.
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The 32-year-old Aliskerov has been a person of interest in the middleweight ranks since arriving on the roster through Dana White’s Contender Series, touching down with a 13-1 record, with his only stumble coming against current divisional ruler Khamzat Chimaev. Since then, the Russian sambo standout has posted three wins in four fights, a short-notice shift into a matchup against ex-titleholder Robert Whittaker accounting for his lone loss through his first four UFC appearances.
“Even though I have more (fights) in the UFC, Ikram definitely has fought bigger name fighters, so overall, maybe he has a little more experience than I do because of the opponents that he’s faced,” Park said with a hint of a grin when asked about leveraging his edge in experience against his less seasoned opponent this weekend. “(I will definitely need to use) my mind and mental control, and giving him that pressure is definitely going to benefit me when it comes to this fight.
“I definitely feel he’s more of a striker, so I feel like he’s going to bring a lot of that this weekend,” he added, forecasting how things could play out on Saturday. “So that’s something I have to prepare for is going toe-to-toe.”
