Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker yesterday bounced back to defeat Darren Till as UFC’s Fight Island drew to a close in Abu Dhabi.
“My brain is on overload,” Whittaker said after throwing everything at England’s Till in the unanimous points win, with all three judges scoring 48-47 for the New Zealand-born Australian.
“That fight was so stressful,” he said. “I hope the fans and everybody can appreciate it because that was one of the most technical fights I’ve ever had.”
Photo: AFP / HO / ZUFFA LLC
Whittaker’s win brought the curtain down on the UFC’s successful excursion to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The 26km2 Yas Island resort complex was sealed off as the Las Vegas-based UFC sought to shielded its fighters from the COVID-19 pandemic.
About 2,500 staff and fighters set up camp under biosecure protocols with constant testing for COVID-19 before, during and after arrival and then regular follow-up checks throughout.
Those who tested positive for the coronavirus were excluded, with the biggest casualty being Brazilian Gilbert Burns, who lost his shot at Nigerian-American UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman two weeks ago as a result.
The 29-year-old Whittaker (22-5) said before the contest that the only thing that worried him was Till’s powerful left fist, a weapon that had given the man from Liverpool 10 knockout victories in an 18-2-1 record coming into the fight.
However, it was a left elbow from Till (18-3-1) instead that put the Aussie on the floor in the first.
Whittaker shook it off quickly and then got down to work, lashing out constantly at Till’s leading leg and picking away with jabs.
By the end the total strike count was 156-81 to Whittaker, who landed 52 to Till’s 29 with Whittaker also showcasing superior wrestling skills.
Whittaker lost his belt when knocked out by Nigerian-New Zealander Israel Adesanya (19-0) in October last year.
This was a welcome return to form for the Australian, who had questioned his future in the sport because of the grind of training.
“He felt me out. In the first round he caught me, he didn’t do that again,” Whittaker said.
“I had to really adapt on the go. It was such a dynamic fight. Things went his way then my way. I just got my head down and that got me across the line,” he said.
Earlier, two veteran Brazilian light heavyweights rolled back the years with 38-year-old Mauricio Rua (27-11-1) taking a split decision, 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 win over 44-year-old fellow Brazilian Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (23-10).
The main card opened with a glimpse into the possible future of the UFC welterweight division. Swede Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev (8-0) made it two wins in two weeks on Fight Island with a first-round knockout of Northern Ireland’s Rhys McKee (10-3-1).
In other bouts, Fabricio Werdum beat Alexander Gustafsson in the first round of their heavyweight fight, Carla Esparza bested Marina Rodriguez in the women’s strawweight, Paul Craig beat Gadzhimurad Antigulov in the light heavyweight division, and in the welterweight division Alex Oliveira defeated Peter Sobotta and Khamzat Chimaev beat Rhys McKee.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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