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The stakes were very high for former UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker, heading into his clash against Darren Till in the main event of UFC Fight Island 3.
After losing the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in his previous fight, Robert Whittaker knew he needed to win against Darren Till. Come fight night, Robert Whittaker delivered with a hard-fought unanimous decision victory against the Englishman after a five rounds battle at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
“Obviously there was a lot of pressures and stresses going into this fight,” Whittaker said at the post-fight press conference at Yas Island. “I’m just happy. We got the result that we came here for. I’m happy that the work trip was successful. I’m happy that I got to showcase more of my skill sets and open up. I got to fight adversity in the fight again. It is what it is. It was a great fight. Stressful fight.”
Robert Whittaker termed his battle with Till a “chess match” and rightly so because the scrap turned out to be as evenly poised as it could get in the initial stages. Robert Whittaker also revealed that he wasn't in the usual frame of mind before defending the title against Adesanya and that he now feels fresh and ready to go on a hunt for the lost title again.
“Honestly, I am championship level,” Whittaker said. “Everyone can see that. Everyone’s always known that. I wasn’t myself last fight. I believe that. Not to take anything away [from Israel Adesanya], he’s a great striker, but I wasn’t myself last fight. I think this is a good win. I’m a champion without the belt, with the belt, doesn’t matter. It is what it is. I’m looking forward to getting back to work and seeing how that next fight goes.”
Robert Whittaker also offered to keep himself prepared in case the UFC needs him as backup if either Adesanya or Brazilian powerhouse Paulo Costa aren’t able to fight at UFC 253.
“That’s a great time,” Whittaker said about potentially competing again in September. “I’ll be preparing around that time. If we can all get on the same card, that would be great. We would be ready. We’re always ready.
