Robert Whittaker meets Darren Till in the main event of the UFC on ESPN 14, which takes place this Saturday at the Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
The former champion is aiming to climb back to the top of the middleweight competition, and avenge his defeat against Israel Adesanya suffered last year. Yet, in order to do so, he needs to beat Darren Till first, and the Englishman is searching for a way to revive his career, too.
With these two guys in a “must-win mode,” the show is guaranteed. The oddsmakers see Whittaker as a solid favorite coming into this one, -120. On the other side, Till is an underdog, +130, and that is mostly because of his unconvincing fights in recent times. Tyron Woodley dominated against him in the title fight at the UFC 228, while Jorge Masvidal knocked out Till in front of his fans in London.
[embed]https://twitter.com/btsportufc/status/1286681247637483523?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]The most recent win he posted against Gastelum wasn’t that impressive at all.
Meanwhile, Whittaker’s list of wins before a loss against Adesanya is long, as he had nine straight triumphs. The opponents he defeated were Jacare Souza, Derek Brunson, and Yoel Romero, twice.
The fighter from New Zealand was outside the ring for a while, and he had time to clear his mind and heal his body completely, which is why many experts give him a solid advantage. Of course, the biggest reason for doing that is his overall quality, which is far greater than Till’s. Whittaker’s ground performance is levels above his rival’s, and also he is much more versatile inside the octagon than Till, who is an upgraded kick-boxer.
It seems that -120 on Whittaker is a solid bargain for all those who love to bet.
When looking at the remainder of the card, the most attractive match would be the one between Mauricia Rua, the former light heavyweight UFC champion, and Antonio Nogueira. This is the third contest between these two guys, and the previous two ended in favor of Rua.
The former ladies strawweight champ Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez also bring an exciting matchup, the same as Fabricio Werdum and Alexander Gustafsson. This heavyweight bout is according to some sources from within the organization equally attractive to the fans as the headliner.