ABU DHABI – Robert Whittaker believes he has far more ways to win than Darren Till in the UFC on ESPN 14.
Former UFC Middleweight Champion Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) meets Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at the Flash Forum in Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. A victory could propel either of them to the No. 1 contender.
It’s a showdown between two of the division’s best forwards, and while Whittaker is wary of Till’s left hand, he believes it brings many more tools to the table.
“His biggest threat is his left hand and he knows it too,” Whittaker told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC on Tuesday on ESPN 14 media day. “That’s where I think I combine much better against him than him with me because my biggest threat is too many. I have so many dangerous shots, I am so creative. I have so many angles that I can explode. He has his left hand. That is all you have. Everything else I have covered.
“It goes through the pipeline and it’s great using it. I’m not taking anything away from him, he’s used it with a dozen guys and knocked him out, so I have to be aware of that, I have to respect it, but I have so many angles that he has to take into account. “
After losing his title to Israel Adesanya in October at UFC 243, Whittaker said he realized he was burned, prompting him to take time off.
He was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 in March, but he pulled out and the fight was removed from the card. A few months later, Whittaker had that itch to compete again.
He said the time he spent helped rekindle his passion for the sport, and he’s motivated like never before in his comeback fight to lose the belt.
“I am happy,” Whittaker said. “I’m alive again. The fire for the sport has been there. I’m enjoying all angles of that. I’m enjoying media week. I’m enjoying weight cutting. I’m enjoying my time in isolation. That’s a change. Massive and just feeling like that means I’m going to go into that octagon, happy as Larry, and I’m just going to go to work. I’m just going to have fun. “
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