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Robert Whittaker: ‘I’ve Been Hungry, That Break I Had Was Exactly What I Needed’

A five-round battle of former welterweights takes place this weekend at UFC on ESPN 14’s main event, as former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker takes on former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren ‘The Gorilla’ Till, and he’s ready to make a statement. The Australian took a bit of a break after his failed title defense against Israel Adesanya at UFC 243, stating that he didn’t go to the gym or anything for some time following the fight. This lit a fire back in him, a ‘craving’ to get back in the gym and compete as he put it.

“It reached a point where it was like, nah, I have to get back to work, this is what I was meant to do. This is what I was put on this planet to do, I’m sure of it. Then I started speaking to the team, telling him (coach) how I feel, the problems that I had that led me here in the first place, and just that dialogue of communication, we worked out the best system and here I am, happy as Larry.”

He went on to say he’s very excited to be fighting in Abu Dhabi, stating that part of his pleasure of fighting for a living is that he gets to travel the world and fight in front of different crowds, experiencing a part of life most people can’t. It’s truly great to see ‘The Reaper’ have his desire to train and compete back, he isn’t burnt out anymore, and that’s absolutely huge. Whittaker is at his best when he’s having fun, as he stated. It’ll be very interesting to see himself and Till go at it.

Both of these men are two of the best strikers in the sport, and both are incredibly dangerous with their strikes. Some fighters are great strikers, but generally out-point their opponents, not these two. They’re both looking to take their opponents heads off the entire time. When asked why Till was the fight he wanted, ‘The Reaper’ responded, “it just looks fun”, stating that they’re both great strikers, and they’re both head hunters.

He was also asked what his biggest weapon he has to use against Till is, and what the biggest threat Till has to offer is: “His biggest threat is his left hand, he knows that as well. The thing is, that’s why I match up so much better against him than he does with me because my biggest threat, there’s 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.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Surely ‘The Gorilla’ has more tools than that, but ‘The Reaper’ isn’t entirely wrong, that is Till’s best strike. He went on to say it is a very dangerous strike that’s worked on many of Till’s past opponents, and that he needs to be aware of it and respect it.

Till just moved up to middleweight in his last fight against Kelvin Gastelum, who he defeated via split decision at UFC 244. Whittaker was slated to defend his title against Gastelum a little over a year ago, but was forced out with an abdomen injury. No one was giving Till a shot in that fight, but he pulled it off, and now we get to see the No. 1 ranked middleweight contender fight the No. 5 middleweight contender.

This is a great match up we’re all dying to see, who takes it? Robert Whittaker or Darren Till?

Darren Till: Robert Whittaker’s Striking Not On My Level

Darren Till doesn’t believe Robert Whittaker is on his level when it comes to the striking department. Till meets Whittaker in the UFC Fight Island 3 headliner taking place this Saturday in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The winner will more than likely be next in line to challenge whoever reigns as the middleweight champion following […]

Darren Till doesn’t believe Robert Whittaker is on his level when it comes to the striking department.

Till meets Whittaker in the UFC Fight Island 3 headliner taking place this Saturday in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The winner will more than likely be next in line to challenge whoever reigns as the middleweight champion following UFC 253.

Both fighters are exciting strikers who always look for the knockout, but mixed martial arts is about being an all-rounder and Whittaker believes he is superior to Till in that regard.

“The Gorilla” doesn’t exactly believe that to be the case. At the same time, he didn’t expect Whittaker to say anything different.

“Of course he should say that and I should say the opposite – that I’m better everywhere,” Till told reporters on media day (via MMA Junkie). “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?”

Till Viewing Whittaker As Better Than Him Everywhere

That said, Till is going into the headliner viewing Whittaker as the better and superior fighter. He couldn’t exactly explain the reasoning but the point is that the mindset will likely help him rise to the occasion.

“I think from me, from an individual point of view, I do everything I can in my power in the gym and in life to put myself, even though I’m prepared 100 percent, put myself a little down and say (I’m) under Rob and look at him as everything, as the beast I have to conquer,” Till explained. “I don’t know how I can explain it best, but I just like to think of Rob as better than me. That’s it.”

Till enjoyed a successful middleweight debut when he outpointed Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 back in November. Whittaker, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since losing his middleweight title in a second-round knockout loss to Israel Adesanya in October.

What do you make of Till’s comments?

Darren Till Doesn’t Think Robert Whittaker’s Striking Is On His Level

Darren Till isn’t convinced that Robert Whittaker can match his level of striking. On July 25, Till and Whittaker will collide in the main event of UFC on ESPN 14. The middleweight tilt will be held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. For Till, it’…

The post Darren Till Doesn’t Think Robert Whittaker’s Striking Is On His Level appeared first on MMA News.

Darren Till On Mike Perry: ‘I’d Lift Him Straight Off His Feet’

Middleweight contender Darren Till has opened up about his ongoing beef with troubled welterweight Mike Perry. Many believed Till and Perry were friends after the pair famously went for a “spar” in 2018. However, the budding friendship quickly soured and the two fighters have been going back and forth on social media for some time […]

Middleweight contender Darren Till has opened up about his ongoing beef with troubled welterweight Mike Perry.

Many believed Till and Perry were friends after the pair famously went for a “spar” in 2018. However, the budding friendship quickly soured and the two fighters have been going back and forth on social media for some time now. Things got particualry ugly when Till made a crude joke about the girlfriend of Perry, something he didn’t find funny at all.

In an interview with BT Sport ahead of his fight with Robert Whittaker this weekend, Till commented on his relationship with Perry, he said.

“It was time, nothing to do, one training session a day. We were all bored out of our minds. I thought, ‘How can I make this a better experience for everyone who follows me?’ so everyone knows I was having jokes with the champ and that, then having jokes with Mike Perry, took it the wrong way. That’s all I did, and I’ve got a good sense of humor and I know how to write things and word things.”

Perry has since talked about Till only to say if they ever cross paths they will fight but ‘The Gorilla’ warned his rival against trying to get physical as things will not go well for him if it does, he said.

“I think it’s just because he’s got a new girl and stuff that probably little bit offended his sensitivity, but that’s the fight game, mate. You have to be able to take it all on the chin, and he obviously can’t, so he’s talking like next time he sees me, he’s gonna poke me in the eye or something. Come on mate, we both know that’s not gonna happen. I’m 6-foot-2. I’d lift him straight off his feet, but I don’t take offense to it.

At one point the two men seem destined to face off but now it appears unlikely. Till is concentrating on fighting the best middleweights in the UFC while Perry remains unranked at 170lbs.

“Let him take offense to it. I hope he does well. I hope he gets the fights he wants. He’s never going to fight me. I’m fighting contenders, former champs. He needs to worry about his path first, before he starts worrying about me because he ain’t getting that fight,” Till concluded. (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Do you still want to see Darren Till and Mike Perry fight?

UFC Middleweight Darren Till: I’d Lift Mike Perry ‘Straight Off His Feet’

Darren Till has responded to Mike Perry’s threats and he isn’t taking offense to them. Till and Perry have been involved in a war of words. Many feel Till has been playing the role of an Internet troll perfectly and Perry is taking the bait…

The post UFC Middleweight Darren Till: I’d Lift Mike Perry ‘Straight Off His Feet’ appeared first on MMA News.

Kelvin Gastelum Reveals He Battled Demons After Poor 2019, Wants Darren Till Rematch

Kelvin Gastelum is in a good place after what was a disappointing 2019. Gastelum was set to challenge for the middleweight title in February only for then champion Robert Whittaker to pull out after the weigh-ins. He would then face Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title but would lose the decision after a five-round […]

Kelvin Gastelum is in a good place after what was a disappointing 2019.

Gastelum was set to challenge for the middleweight title in February only for then champion Robert Whittaker to pull out after the weigh-ins. He would then face Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title but would lose the decision after a five-round war.

Gastelum returned seven months later at UFC 244 — something he later revealed was way too early after the Adesanya fight — and suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Darren Till following an underwhelming performance.

In a recent media scrum ahead of his UFC Fight Island 2 fight with Jack Hermansson this weekend, Gastelum admits he underwent depression afterwards and was in a bad place mentally as well as physically.

“Last year in February, I was supposed to fight for the title. In my head, I was going to be the world champion,” Gastelum said (via MMA Fighting). “Then that didn’t happen. Fought in April, lost. Fought in November and lost.

“I think I did go through a little bit of depression. I gained like 30 pounds. Had an injury. Had to recover from that. So I had to battle some demons in my off time.”

Gastelum Ready To Go Again

In addition, Gastelum also had to deal with some personal issues behind the scenes.

However, it is now all behind him as he feels there is a resurgence within him as he notably enjoyed the process for this particular camp.

“I’m actually in a really good place, mentally and physically, which really wasn’t the case for my last two fights,” Gastelum said. “I’m not putting any excuses. There’s a lot of things that go behind the scenes for a lot of fighters but it’s in the past, it’s neither here nor there.

“Now I’m in a good place mentally, physically. I feel really good coming into this fight. I battled [my demons], I conquered them, and here I am, ready to go.”

Although many things are in the past now, Gastelum still hopes to have a rematch with Till down the line.

“I thought I wanted a rematch before,” Gastelum added. “I lost to guys like Neil Magny. I lost to Tyron Woodley. I felt like maybe I’d like to have a rematch with those guys. But the feeling that I got after fighting Till, I’ve never wanted a rematch more than I want that. I would love to run that back.

“All respect to Darren Till. He had a great, phenomenal game plan that night. He beat me fair and square. But anybody that knows me, anybody that knows my style and that has seen me in my fights in the past, knows that wasn’t me fighting at 100 percent. So I’d love to be able to run it back.”

For now, he has to get past Hermansson first.

What do you make of Gastelum’s comments?