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Robert Whittaker makes his much anticipated UFC return in the main event of UFC Fight Island 3. Whittaker lost the UFC middleweight title in his last fight against Israel Adesanya. Since that fight, Whittaker has taken a long time off from the sport.
He claims to feel rejuvenated as he takes on the rising star of the division, Darren Till. On paper, this is a fight that the fans can't afford to miss. Till and Whittaker are two of the best strikers in the game and both of them are very exciting to watch.
However, it's not going to be an easy fight for Robert Whittaker because on the face of it, Darren Till is a bad matchup for the former champ.
Robert Whittaker vs Darren TIll will be a striking extravaganza
Robert Whittaker is one of the best strikers in the 185 lbs division. He has lethal knockout power and he is durable. However, he always struggles against the elite strikers such as Isreal Adesanya, and Stephen Thompson.
Robert Whittaker fought Stephen Thompson at welterweight, and is now a different animal in the middleweight division and the weight cut was affecting his performance at 170. However, there is a pattern that suggests he struggles against good strikers.
When Darren Till took on Wonderboy at welterweight he was able to get the split decision win. Though it was a controversial win he looked like the better striker on that night. Till is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in UFC right now and he is going to give a lot of trouble to Whittaker on the feet.
We can't talk about Whittaker and not mention the wins over Yoel Romero, Jacare Souza, and Derek Brunson. Whittaker's record at middleweight is simply amazing. But Romero, Souza, and Brunson are not as good as Darren Till when it comes to striking.
Robert Whittaker recently claimed that he will take the fight to the ground against Darren Till, which seems like a smart move when you are up against a striker. However, Till's wrestling defense is extremely good, and Whittaker is an anti wrestler so we can expect a striking battle between the two for the majority of the fight.
Robert Whittaker is undoubtedly one of the greatest middleweights to ever step inside the octagon. No other middleweight champion has represented the sport as good as Whittaker did. However, the odds will be against Whittaker when he takes on Darren Till. The question is can the Reaper defy the odds one more time and start the climb to the top again?
