Not so fast ... according to 33-year-old Whittaker himself!

"I am thankful for [Aliskerov] to step up to the plate to fight, and a lot of fans probably don't know how dangerous this guy is. And, in a lot of ways, this guy is more dangerous than Chimaev was, especially mentality-wise, because he has nothing to lose and only everything to gain," Robert told TMZ Sports earlier this week.

He continued ... "Skill set-wise, he's a dangerous guy. And, I understand the threat he brings. And, I'm going to meet that. I'm going to take the fight to him come Saturday."

While Khamzat might be undefeated (13-0), Ikram's record isn't too shabby.

In fact, his only career defeat came at the hands of Chimaev back in 2019 -- before either was signed to the UFC (they fought in a promotion called Brave CF 23). KC won by knockout.

Both Robert and Ikram are coming off wins. Whittaker beat Paulo Costa at UFC 298 ... and Aliskerov a victory versus Warlley Alves at UFC 294.

We also asked RW about the decision to take the fight. After all, he's ranked third, while IA isn't ranked ... arguably a big risk for Whittaker were he to lose.

"Mate, it's my job. This is what I get paid to do. This is what I do. This is how I provide for my family this is yeah this is what the job entails."

As for having to now train for a new opponent with a different style ... Whittaker ain't worried.

"I just lean on my experience. I've been doing this for a long time. I've got a lot of fights under my belt. And, that's what makes these transitions as easy as can be. You know, I can fall back on a decade of training and fights to see me through."