Robert Whittaker Argues Darren Till Has Only One Weapon

In recent years, Darren Till has repeatedly claimed that his striking is in the upper echelons of the sport, and the fighter’s stand-up has received plenty of praise. But, according to the man who will battle him at UFC Fight Island 3, Robert Whittaker, Till’s only real weapon is his left hand.

Whittaker says Till’s left hand is all he’s “got”

Till has been tapped to fight the former middleweight champ on Saturday night, in a compelling match-up that will headline the Abu Dhabi card. The charismatic fighter has been booked for the pivotal, big stage fight, after defeating Kelvin Gastelum by split decision last November.

Well, if you’ve followed Till since he arrived in the UFC, you know that when he was fighting in the welterweight division, he claimed he was that bracket’s best striker. But, when Whittaker was recently asked to evaluate Till, the Australian argued he only has one thing to worry about (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“His biggest threat is his left hand and he knows that as well,” Whittaker said. “That’s where I think I match up so much better against him than he does with me because my biggest threat is too many of them.

I have so many dangerous shots, I’m so creative. I have so many angles I can exploit. He’s got his left hand. That’s all he’s got. Everything else I got covered.

“He runs that down the pipe and he’s so well at using it. I’m not taking anything away from him, he’s used it on a dozen guys and he’s knocked him out so I’ve got to be aware of that,

I’ve got to give it respect, but I got so many angles he has to be aware of.”

Till’s response

Now, few would likely argue that Till’s greatest weapon is his left hand. But his team and supporters would almost certainly dispute the idea that’s all he has.

When Till was asked to respond to Whittaker’s comments, however, ‘The Gorilla’ didn’t seem to be too bothered by them (quotes via MMA Junkie).

“Of course he should say that and I should say the opposite – that I’m better everywhere,” Till said. “But I’m not like that. I think Rob is potentially, probably more of a seasoned wrestler, a little bit better in that department.

Jiu-jitsu-wise, I don’t know. Striking-wise, he ain’t even close to the level, but I’m saying that and he could come in and show me something new and, ‘Pom, pom,’ and that’s how it is. He’s meant to say that.

Would you expect him to say anything else?”

It ‘s going to be really interesting to see how this fight plays out. Heading into Whittaker’s bout with Israel Adesanya – one of the best strikers on the planet – a lot of people predicted Whittaker might try to take it down. That didn’t happen.

So, could we see him try to go this route against Till? Despite his comments above?