The final UFC Fight Island event is fast approaching, and the company wants to depart Abu Dhabi in style. This was clear from the way they moved the traditional pre-fight faceoffs from an indoor location to the literal octagon on the beach. Here Darren Till and Robert Whittaker faced off with the Persian Gulf serving as a striking backdrop.
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Soon after the fighters shook hands, ‘The Gorilla’ looked away and seemed to stare straight at his opponent’s knees. He lifted his head, but once more inclined it. Here one gets the impression that the English fighter is admiring Whittaker’s sneakers. Certain sections of viewers see it as the fighter displaying nerves.
.@RobWhittakerMMA and @DarrenTill2 got their first good look at each other during today's faceoff in the beachfront octagon.#UFCFightIsland3 | More: https://t.co/wRCFhl9wkk pic.twitter.com/PtkN5GvEA7
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) July 23, 2020
Fans on Twitter noticed this too and aired their views on the fighters’ face-off. The comments largely mocked ‘The Gorilla.’
Till looks nervous tbh.. man's looking kind of worried👀
— BelgianMMAGod (@YaBoiMax06) July 23, 2020
Till doing everything he can to avoid eye contact 👀
— c 🇮🇪 (@hctelfih) July 23, 2020
For everyone who is going to say Till is scared, the man had the sun shinning directly in his eyes 😂
— Cup Noodle (@zacksMMAchat) July 23, 2020
#UFCFightIsland3
Here’s a look at @darrentill2 @robwhittakermma face off… pic.twitter.com/3g5Vhc0VCl— BlkDgm (@brdigma) July 23, 2020
Till looks like he’s trying to avoid a conversation with his in laws
— Red Corner Picks (@RedCornerPicks) July 23, 2020
Darren Till finds support from some corners
WHOATV’s Michael Morgan claimed that the fighter stared downwards as there was a bit of sun in his eyes. This prompted a reply from Conor McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh. He wrote, “Some inside information….all fighters get nervous.”
Some inside information….all fighters get nervous 🤷🏻♂️
— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) July 23, 2020
At this point, a fan said that fighters are not their nervous system to which Kavanagh replied saying, “You are not your vascular system. Equally banal. Here’s a more interesting way of putting it. All fighters feel fear but pros do not let it control them.”
You are not your vascular system. Equally banal.
Here's a more interesting way of putting it. All fighters feel fear but pros do not let it control them.— Coach Kavanagh (@John_Kavanagh) July 23, 2020
Once the fighters faced the cameras, Till adopted a pose with his left hand raised. In the pre-fight media interactions, the Australian fighter branded it as Till’s only weapon.
“I Have So Many Dangerous Shots”- Robert Whittaker Sends Darren Till a Stern Warning
However, the 5th ranked Middleweight has achieved stupendous success on the back of it. Till entered the UFC as an unbeaten competitor and rose to attain the status of Welterweight challenger. Whilst highlighting his strengths, ‘The Reaper’ admitted that he would have to be aware of Till’s strengths too.
The bout will have major implications for the Middleweight Championship. A win for Robert Whittaker will see him keep hold of his spot atop the rankings and be in prime position to fight the winner of UFC 253’s Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa fight.
Till knows that a win over the former Champion can see him rise to at least the top three in the rankings. He is certain to be nervous ahead of a fight of this magnitude. However, until he reveals it himself, fans won’t know for certain if it was the sun or nervousness that caused him to look away.
What did you make of Darren Till at the unique beachside Octagon face-offs?
Sources: MMA Junkie Twitter, John Kavanagh Twitter, UFC on BT Sport Twitter, Belgian MMA God Twitter, C Twitter, Cup Noodle Twitter, Blkdgm Twitter, Red Corner Picks Twitter, Michael Morgan Twitter
