Video | Darren Till and Robert Whittaker come face-to-face on Fight Island

By Tom Taylor - July 23, 2020

This weekend, in the main event of the UFC’s final event on Fight Island, Robert Whittaker and Darren Till will collide in a crucial middleweight showdown.

Robert Whittaker, Darren Till, UFC on ESPN 14

On Thursday afternoon local time, the pair came face-to-face for the first time, in the Octagon the UFC has set up on the beach for promotional purposes.

Watch their encounter below:

Darren Till last fought at UFC 244 in November, when he debuted in the middleweight division with a split decision triumph over former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. This victory separated him from a pair of stoppage losses—a knockout at the hands of Jorge Masvidal, and a submission setback against Tyron Woodley—that put an end to his run in the UFC welterweight division.

Robert Whittaker, on the other hand, has not fought since October, when he was knocked out by Israel Adesanya in a fight that marked the end of his reign as the UFC middleweight champion. Prior to that, Whittaker was riding back-to-back decision wins over the fearsome Yoel Romero.

Before he accepted this fight with Till, Whittaker took an extended break from competition, citing a feeling of being “completely burnt out.”

“I have no idea where that came from,” Whittaker told The Daily Telegraph.

“During the break, I got off all social media to spend time with family, so it was my old man who actually contacted me, explaining there was this crazy rumor going around, and from there, it just got a life of its own,” Whittaker said. “But my kids were all fine. They are fine. It was me who had the issue.

“I just wasn’t myself. That’s the game though, you rock up and fight, but I know I can perform much better, and have performed much better.”

Who do you think will come out on top when Darren Till and Robert Whittaker collide on Fight Island this Saturday night?


Topics:

Darren Till Robert Whittaker UFC