R. Whittaker defeated D. Till via unanimous decision by the judges. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
They closed with a flourish. In the main fight of the card that ended the marathon of events on 'Ilha da Luta', held this Saturday (25), in Abu Dhabi, Robert whittaker got the better of Darren till. In the clash marked by technique, the Australian overcame the Englishman and was declared the winner in a unanimous decision by the judges.
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In the meeting between two candidates for a future fight for the middleweight belt (up to 83,9 kg), the former champion of the category regained his winning ways and put himself in line to face the winner of Israel adesanya e Paulo borrachinha. This was Whittaker's first appearance since his defeat to the Nigerian in October last year, which cost him the belt.
The weekend marked Till's second appearance in the middleweight division since the Englishman moved up a category permanently. After debuting in the group, defeating the former challenger for the interim belt, Kelvin Gastelum, in November, the fighter saw the chance to challenge the champion slip through his fingers.
The fight
The confrontation started tensely, with the midfielders very aggressive. Right at the beginning of the confrontation, Whittaker managed to mark his rival's face after a sequence of two jabs. Darren responded with a direct shot, which caused Robert to lose his balance. Halfway through the round, the fighters began to compete against the bars, but the Australian managed to get away. The duel remained balanced with the possibility of a knockout for both sides. The round ended with the fighters facing each other, but without attacking in the center of the octagon.
The second round remained aggressive. The fighters threw high kicks, which stopped at the guards. Wihtaker managed to connect with a good cross and took the fight to the ground. Robert continued to put pressure on his opponent and had the advantage in the opening minutes. With two minutes left in the stage, Darren managed to explode and get up. Standing, Till tried to recover from the loss, but was stopped by the Australian's dangerous counterattacks. Almost at the end of the round, the fighters exchanged kicks again, but the timer ran to zero.
In the third stage, the combatants began to compete in a truncated confrontation. Betting on long-range punches and kicks, the athletes avoided frank exchanges and tried to score as many points as they could. Till began to provoke the Australian, who threw a high kick, but the blow went empty. Darren tried to destabilize the former champion, lowered his guard and tried to mislead Robert. In the final seconds, the middleweights studied each other in the center of the octagon until the end of the round.
The beginning of the fourth round was marked by economy in attacks. The fighters relied on jabs and avoided frank striking. Halfway through the round, Till surprised the Australian with a series of punches. Robert tried to respond, but his attacks passed in vain. In the final minute, a straight left from the Englishman landed squarely in Robert's face, but the former champion didn't land the blow. Whikkater feinted a cross and went for the legs to try for a takedown, but Darren defended well. The round came to an end with the fighters moving in the center of the octagon.
At a slower pace, the athletes returned for the last round to decide the winner. Whittaker bet on a sequence of jabs followed by a low kick. Darren defended himself and dodged the former champion's attacks well and tried to surprise with the counterattack. Halfway through the round, Robert tried to get a takedown, but Till defended himself well. Darren connected with a jab and a straight left that forced the Australian to walk back. In the final seconds, the former champion managed to take down his opponent, but Till managed to get up. The match continued to be played on the fence until the bell sounded.
UFC Ilha da Luta 3 results
MAIN CARD
Average weight: Robert whittaker derrotou Darren till in the unanimous decision of the judges (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Light Heavyweight: Mauritius Shogun derrotou Rogério Minotouro in the judges' split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Fabricio Werdum finished Alexander Gustafson with an armbar at 2m30s of R1
Straw weight: Carla esparza derrotou Marina Rodriguez in the judges' split decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight: Paul Craig finished Gadzhimurad Antigulov with a triangle 2m06s from R1
Welterweight Weight: Alex Cowboy derrotou Peter sobotta in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight Weight: Khamzat Shimaev derrotou rhys mckee by technical knockout at 3m09s of R1
PRELIMINARY CARD
Lightweight: Francisco Massaranduba derrotou Jai Herbert by knockout 1m30 of R3
Welterweight Weight: Jesse Ronson finished Nicholas Dalby with a rear naked choke at 2m48s of R1
Heavyweight: Tom aspinall derrotou Jake collier by technical knockout at 45s of R1
Feather weight: Movsar Evloev derrotou Mike Grundy in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Tanner Boser derrotou Raphael Bebezão by technical knockout at 2m36s of R2
Bantamweight: Pannie kianzad derrotou Beth Pitbull in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Welterweight Weight: Ramazan Emeyev derrotou Niklas Stolze in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Nathaniel Wood derrotou John Castaneda in the unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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