Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Check out which fighters won performance bonuses from UFC Fight Island 3: Whittaker vs. Till
The Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE was home to a great night of fights at UFC Fight Island 3: Whittaker vs. Till. The card saw four (T)KOs, three submissions and eight decisions, including two split-decisions.
Tonight’s card was a highly entertaining affair with plenty of action, both on the prelims and the main card. The most noteworthy standouts on the prelims were Tanner Boser scoring his second knockout this month, Movsar Evloev doing his best Houdini impression as he outclassed a very tough Mike Grundy, Tom Aspinall making short work of Jake Collier, and Francisco Trinaldo having to remind Herb Dean that he was reffing a fight after he cleaned Jai Herbert’s clock.
The main card was kicked off with Khamzat Chimaev knocking out Rhy McKee even faster than he choked out John Phillips, Alex Oliveira notching a second-straight win with a perfect 30-27 x3 performance over Peter Sobotta, Paul Craig getting yet another triangle choke win over Gadzhimurad Antigulov, Carla Esparza edging out Marina Rodriguez via split-decision in a very close battle, Fabricio Werdum welcoming Alexander Gustafsson to the big boy division by nailing his first submission in nearly three years, and Shogun and Little Nog battled for old man legacy, but it would be Rua that would take the split-decision, making it a hat trick for their trilogy.
The main event saw a clash of heads early that dropped Whittaker in the first. The second round saw Whittaker get his rhythm and as a result, he dropped Till and stayed heavy on top, peppering shots to the body and elbows to the head. The third round went to Bobby Knuckles, as well, with plenty of elbows and the low kicks he landed throughout definitely started adding up. Round four saw a brief exchange that went to Till who managed to catch Robert with a couple hard shots that put the Aussie on roller skates for a moment. Round five was a technical battle with both men getting some good shots in and Whittaker scoring two takedowns, securing himself the decision in that most excellent fight.
Performance of the Night: Khamzat Chimaev, Tom Aspinall, Paul Craig, Fabricio Werdum, Tanner Boser, Jesse Ronson
Tanner Boser (R2 2:36 via TKO: Punches), Tom Aspinall (R1 0:45 via TKO: Knee and Punches), Jesse Ronson (R1 2:48 Rear-Naked Choke), Francisco Trinaldo (R3 1:30 via TKO: Punches), Khamzat Chimaev (R1 3:09 via TKO: Punches), Paul Craig (R1 2:06 Triangle Choke), and Fabricio Werdum (R1 2:30 Armbar) all finished their respective bouts early but it would be Khamzat Chimaev, Tom Aspinall, Paul Craig, Fabricio Werdum, Tanner Boser, and Jesse Ronson would take POTN honors. That’s right, kids, SIX bonuses.
Fight of the Night: NONE
Nathaniel Wood (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Ramazan Emeev (30-27, 30-27, 29-28), Pannie Kianzad (30-27, 30-27, 29-28), Movsar Evloev (30-27, 30-27, 29-28), Alex Oliveira (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Carla Esparza (30-27, 29-28, 28-29), Shogun Rua (29-28, 29-28, 28-29), and Robert Whittaker (48-47 x3) all went the distance in their respective bouts but none were awarded FOTN.