Darren Till toldRobert Whittaker to expect war when they trade blows in the "Fight Island " finale Saturday.- Whittaker told reporters earlier this week that he would have no problem with that kind of fight, as he said he accepted a Till ruckus on account of both fighters being headhunting strikers.
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UFC president Dana White described the fight as "incredible" and very important for the middleweight division. - The UFC analyst and commentator
Jon Anik told Insider that he agrees with the Floridian fighter Jorge Masvidal's assessment of Till — that he's one of the most powerful punchers in the UFC.
FIGHT ISLAND — Darren Till and Robert Whittaker are preparing for war in a fan-friendly "Fight Island" finale on Saturday, July 25.
The middleweight battle brings to an end the UFC's debut four-event and month-long residency on a quarantined area of Yas Island, built in conjunction with the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi.
It provides the leading mixed martial arts outfit with an environment to host international cards during the coronavirus pandemic.
Till and Whittaker is the final fight on a 15-bout show called UFC on ESPN 14, and is a match-up that has important ramifications in the 185-pound division. The winner is poised for a shot at Israel Adesanya's title.
"I love that fight," the UFC president Dana White told reporters at a media event attended by Insider recently. "That card is awesome, that fight is incredible. A very important fight for both of those guys."
At a face-off in a training Octagon on Yas Beach earlier this week, Till barely looked at Whittaker in the eyes. However, at the weigh-in Friday, he was all business and repeatedly asked Whittaker if he was ready for war.
Whittaker told reporters earlier this week that he had trained for a battle. "Should be a cracker," Whittaker said. "We're both going to go out there, going to headhunt, should be fun."
Whittaker said fans should expect two fighters looking to keep the fight on their feet, rather than take it to the mat.
"He goes out there headhunting, he's got good striking," he said. "I go out there headhunting. I got good striking. It just looks a fun fight."
Till's punching prowess has been lauded by the Floridian fighter Jorge Masvidal, who was talent-spotted from an early age as a hard-hitting street-brawler by cult hero Kimbo Slice.
Insider asked the UFC commentator and analyst Jon Anik whether Till's striking was as powerful as Masvidal suggested.
"Oh absolutely," Anik said. "Absolutely."
Till was building an impressive record in his debut years as a UFC-contracted athlete, knocking out Donald Cerrone in 2017 before out-pointing Stephen Thompson a year later.
Back-to-back losses to Tyron Woodley and Masvidal in the following years threatened to derail Till's progress. But the Englishman matured as an athlete before rebounding with a split decision win over Kelvin Gastelum last year, said Anik.
"Darren Till has resonated with fans to such an extent," Anik told us. "He's got a huge following in the States, talk about a guy maximizing his social media efforts during quarantine. The metrics on him are absurd.
"And that says nothing about how good a fighter he is. I also think the Tyron Woodley fight was the best thing to ever happen to him because it gave him key things he knew had to correct [and to] develop mentally.
"I think it was huge for him and there was just a really disciplined effort from him getting past Gastelum.
"We're excited to see what he can do against Whittaker," Anik said.
Other select bouts from the UFC on ESPN 14 show include:
- Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira — light heavyweight
- Fabricio Werdum vs. Alexander Gustafsson — heavyweight
- Carla Esparza vs. Marina Rodriguez — women's strawweight
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Rhys McKee — welterweight
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