Former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker will step into the Octagon for the first time since dropping the title to Israel Adesanya. He attributed his hiatus to a lack of hunger. ‘The Reaper’ revealed that his time away from the cage served like a craving that showed him fighting was what he was put on the planet for. Later, in the same pre-fight interview, Whittaker drew a comparison between his and his opponent Darren Till’s strengths.
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Via MMA Junkie, the Australian said, “His biggest strength is his left hand. He knows that as well and the thing is like that’s why I think I match up so much better against him than he does with me.”
Here the top-ranked Middleweight fighter provided the media the reasoning for his analysis. Here he made it known that he views the fight as a man with one threat vs a man with many threats.
He said, “Because, my biggest threat is too many of them. I have so many dangerous shots. I’m so creative, I have so many angles that I can exploit. He’s got his left hand. That’s all he’s got. Like everything else I’ve got it covered. He runs it down the ponies…”
Robert Whittaker will not underestimate Darren Till
Despite ‘The Gorilla’ having just one weapon, he has achieved tremendous success on the back of it. The English fighter has claimed 11 wins via (T)KO with 8 of these coming due to punches. Whittaker is aware of the threat the southpaw will offer on Saturday.
In this regard, he will know what he has to avoid to have a triumphant comeback and insert himself into the title challenger conversations once more.
He concluded, “I’m not taking anything away from him. He’s used on a dozen guys and knocked them out. So I’ve got to be aware and got to give it the respect, but I’ve got so many angles that he has to be aware of.”
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‘The Reaper’ has a submission game he can fall back on. He claimed all 5 of his submission wins as a professional in his first 7 fights in Australia. Also, his striking game has come to the fore in the UFC which saw his ascent to the title picture.
What do you make of Robert Whittaker’s comments of him having more threats heading into the UFC Fight Island 3 main event contest?