The main event of UFC Fight Night Whittaker vs Till is official after both fighters made weight ahead of the event. The duo stepped onto the scales at 186 lbs, which is the non-championship Middleweight limit. This bout will go a huge way in determining the pecking order for the Middleweight Championship challengers.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Robert Whittaker
‘The Reaper’ is coming off the back of a defeat in his home country which saw him surrender his UFC Middleweight Championship. On the night Israel Adesanya finished him via TKO and ended his 9 fight win streak. Following the fight, the Australian spent time away from the sport which helped him reignite his hunger.
Now, he is back and knows that a defeat will see him free fall in the Middleweight rankings. He faces a game contender in Darren Till who is undefeated at this weight in one UFC fight as well as his pre-UFC days.
WATCH: Top 5 Robert Whittaker Moments in UFC
Darren Till
‘The Gorilla’ moved up to Middleweight following his defeat to Jorge Masvidal. Here at UFC 244, he defeated Kelvin Gastelum to announce his arrival in the division. In retrospect, while looking back at Gastelum’s 3 fight losing streak, the Till fight was the closest given that it went to a split decision.
Nevertheless, the Englishman possesses a powerful left hand that can end a fight instantly. Robert Whittaker has said he has more weapons than his opponent but added that he would remain wary of Till’s biggest strength.
Prediction for UFC Fight Night
The fight will largely see both competitors on their feet for the entirety. We can glean this from their UFC takedown averages per 15 minutes. Till averages 0.66 of takedowns with the number dropping even lower for ‘The Reaper’ who averages 0.36.
The duo has won a combined 7 fights via submission, however, these wins came well before their time in the UFC.
The top-ranked Middleweight contender has a massive advantage in significant strikes landed per minute. He lands 4.77 strikes which is a massive 2.36 ahead of ‘The Gorilla’s 2.41. Till however has a one-inch reach advantage. The Australian who can use a variety of techniques to claim the rounds on Fight Island will nullify this statistic.
The 5th ranked Middleweight leads in terms of the strikes landed percentage. This gives viewers the idea that he makes the most of his attacks and isn’t exerting energy by swinging and missing. Darren Till lands 46% of his strikes ahead of Whittaker’s 39%.
Based on this statistic and Whittaker’s attacking style, should Till land one early, the fight will be over in no time. This should be the strategy, as he may struggle as the fight progresses.
However, the argument can be made that Whittaker in landing more strikes makes up for the drop in percentage as he goes for it all the time. Here, ‘The Reaper’ knows that he will have Till on his toes trying to deflect or avoid the blows. The strategy will ensure Till doesn’t have a base from which to unleash a massive fight-ending blow.
Also, Whittaker has experience in the UFC at Middleweight, having spent 6 years in the division. It all points to him out striking ‘The Gorilla’ to claim a huge morale-boosting win. Darren Till is yet to lose on the judges’ scorecards. Do not expect that to change.
Prediction: Whittaker to win via 3rd round TKO.
