LAS VEGAS – Ikram Aliscrove could see a rematch of Hamzat Chimayev, but he knows he still has some work to do.
Aliscroft (13-1) used Tuesday, in Dana White’s Contender Series 54, for Mario Sousa to quickly finish Kimura. The Fighting Sambo champion has only one setback on record: a knockout loss to Chimayev in April 2019.
Although the Dagestan native hopes to reach the top, he knows Chimayev has further down his path.
“I don’t want to look too far because Khamzat is in the top five,” Aliskerov told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through a translator. “I believe he is now close to the title race. But of course I would love to get into the top rankings and see him again.”
Dana White spoke highly of Aliscroft’s dominant performance , and said he is now ready to take on his ranked middleweight opponent. Aliskerov, who has fought 14 professional bouts against the tight competition, shares the same sentiment.
“I totally agree with Dana. I believe I have it all,” Aliscroft said. “I’m also hungry right now. I’m ambitious, so I believe I can easily get into the top five.
“(I’m going) No breaks, no transfers, no time to rest. I want to play one more game until the end of the year and God forbid I’ll be in my top five by the end of next year. “
