Robert Whittaker Edges Out Darren Till in the UFC on ESPN 14 Headliner

Robert Whittaker defeated Darren Till in the headliner of the UFC on ESPN 14 event. The former middleweight champion posted a win after a unanimous decision, making his way back to the octagon after losing the belt against Israel Adesanya last year.

“That fight was so stressful. Honestly, I hope the fans and everybody can appreciate it. That was one of the most technical fights I’ve ever had to fight,” Whittaker said.

It was one of the better fights of the season, with the media reactions all over the web being more than positive on what the two fighters brought into the octagon.

After a slick dodge, @darrentill2 landed a few cracking shots 💥 #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/kYxR82dZ6P

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 26, 2020

Till was the first one to attack and cause damage with a strong left elbow in the first round, which would eventually send former champ to the ground.

But Whittaker responded in the very next round, dropping Till to the canvas after a massive right, which dazzled the Englishman. He would manage to survive hard hits from his rival who was all over him on the ground.

The third round passed with Whitaker dictating the tempo and attacking injured Till, who had issues with his leg and was swollen all over the head. The same was seen in the fourth, with the former champion gaining a momentum which he tried to utilize. However, in all that attack, Till managed to inflict another elbow, which would make a serious cut on Whittaker’s head. Yet, the Kiwi would get even with a takedown in the last minute of the fight.

The fifth round saw both guys giving their best. They would land and absorb punches, with several of them being pretty big. Till’s strike would tear Whittaker’s ear, while on the other side, the ex-champion took down Till again.

“Things just went his way, then my way, then his way, it was so much feinting, so much committing,” said Whittaker following the battle.

After a bloody five-round affair, @robwhittakermma and @darrentill2 embraced 🤝 #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/7egi9ykD0x

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 26, 2020

He is now 21-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC, and expects to have a shot at the title in the near future. Just to remind you, Adesanya dethroned him last year, and Whittaker’s intention is to jump back into the saddle as soon as possible and challenge the undefeated champ.

Adesanya, however, mentioned after the fight via his Instagram account that he would like to fight Darren Till one day, adding that the Gorilla, as the fans call him, has one of the most beautiful techniques in the UFC.

“I still wanna fight Till one day. His striking is beautiful. Stay up Darren,” he wrote.

Till (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) spoke highly of his opponent following the match, saying that he would like to meet him in the octagon again. He would even propose that if Whittaker doesn’t receive a chance to meet Adesanya in a title fight any time soon, he would be more than glad to visit New Zealand and have the second meeting with the Reaper.

This was a close match, and many, in fact, believed that the English fighter deserved at least a draw. Till was looking much better than against Kelvin Gastelum and Jorge Masvidal. If he continues to perform like this in the future, he too might be in the combination for the title fight.

In other matches of the night, Fabricio Werdum submitted Alexander Gustafsson on his heavyweight debut, and Mauricio Rua defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via split decision in their third meeting, completing the sweep of his great rival.