ABU DHABI – Robert Whittaker thinks he has a lot more ways to win than Darren Till at UFC on ESPN 14.
Former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) meets Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. A win could propel either man to the No. 1 contender spot.
It’s a matchup between two of the division’s best strikers, and although Whittaker is wary of Till’s power left hand, he thinks he brings a lot more tools to the table.
“His biggest threat is his left hand and he knows that as well,” Whittaker told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Tuesday’s UFC on ESPN 14 media day. “That’s where I think I match up so much better against him than he does with me because my biggest threat is too many of them. I have so many dangerous shots, I’m so creative. I have so many angles I can exploit. He’s got his left hand. That’s all he’s got. Everything else I got covered.
“He runs that down the pipe and he’s so well at using it. I’m not taking anything away from him, he’s used it on a dozen guys and he’s knocked him out so I’ve got to be aware of that, I’ve got to give it respect, but I got so many angles he has to be aware of.”
After losing his title to Israel Adesanya in October at UFC 243, Whittaker said he came to a realization that he was burnt out, which prompted him to take some time off.
He was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 in March, but withdrew and the fight was scrapped from the card. A few months later and Whittaker got that itch to compete again.
He said the time away helped reignite his passion for the sport, and he’s motivated as ever going into his comeback fight from losing the belt.
“I’m just happy,” Whittaker said. “I’m alive again. The fire for the sport has been there. I’m enjoying all angles of it. I’m enjoying media week. I’m enjoying the weight cut. I’m enjoying my time in isolation. That’s a massive change and just feeling that way means I’m gonna go in that octagon, happy as Larry, and I’m just gonna get to work. I’m just gonna have fun.”
Robert Whittaker: Darren Till's left hand 'all he's got' at UFC on ESPN 14