Darren Till reacts following loss to Robert Whittaker, believes Israel Adesanya would be an easier fight

Darren Till squared off with Robert Whittaker in the headliner of tonight’s UFC Fight Island 3 event with hopes of earning a middleweight title shot.

The Liverpool native, Till (18-3-1 MMA), had made his middleweight debut against Kelvin Gastelum this past November at UFC 244, emerging victorious by way of split-decision.

‘The Gorilla’ had made it clear that the only thing for him following a win over ‘The Reaper’ would be a middleweight title shot.

However, in order for Till to get his desired second shot at UFC gold, he would first have to get past the former middleweight title holder in Whittaker.

Robert Whittaker was returning to action this evening for the first time since surrendering his title to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243.

Despite the layoff, the Aussie was extremely confident that he would get past Darren Till this evening.

Tonight’s highly anticipated headliner proved to be an outstanding contest. The fight went the distance but had many “oh my god” moments as both men were able to score knockdowns during the first four rounds. Going into round five, most fans and analysts had the score tied. In those final five minutes, it was Robert Whittaker who scored a pair of late takedowns, which ultimately helped sway the judges in attendance to award him a unanimous decision victory over Darren Till.

Official UFC Fight Island 3 Result: Whittaker def. Till by unanimous decision (48-47 x3)

Following the setback, which marked his third in his past four fights, Darren Till spoke to reporters at tonight’s post-fight press conference (via Helen Yee).

Darren Till talks about his fight against Robert Whittaker and said it was stressful and like a chess match. He also says he felt it was 2-2 going into the fifth #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/8VfbUcavv6

— Helen Yee (@HelenYeeSports) July 26, 2020

“I feel ok. This was probably one of the toughest fights I have been in. It was just so mentally stressful. Like a chess match. Neither guys wants to throw and anytime we threw we did with our heart. I think I caught him more than he caught me, you know, with the power. I feel like there were three or four times, especially in that first round. I think it was about 2-2 going into the fifth (round). And then I think the judges may have scored the takedown. But I was getting back up after every time so maybe that nullified it, I don’t know.”

Darren Till then went on to suggest that he thinks Israel Adesanya would be an easier fight than Robert Whittaker.

Darren Till says he thinks Israel Adesanya would probably be an easier fight for him than Robert Whittaker #UFCFightIsland3

— Helen Yee (@HelenYeeSports) July 26, 2020

“Darren Till says he thinks Israel Adesanya would probably be an easier fight for him than Robert Whittaker.”

Who would you like to see Darren Till fight next following his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker this evening on Yas Island? Share your thoughts in the comments section of this post PENN Nation!

on July 25, 2020