The injured knee of Darren Till proved to be the deciding factor in his loss to Robert Whittaker
In the main event of UFC Fight Island 3, the former Middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker made an emphatic octagon return. The Reaper secured a win over the rising star of the division, Darren Till.
The fight was very competitive from start to finish. Darren Till scored a massive knockdown against Whittaker in the first round and was inches away from handing another TKO loss to the former champion. However, Whittaker proved yet again why he is regarded as one of the best Middleweights of all time and bounced back.
Robert Whittaker even knocked Till down and asserted his dominance on the ground for the majority of the second round.
Darren Till was landing the bigger shots throughout the five rounds. However, Whittaker was staying more active and winning the rounds on the judges' scorecard.
Darren Till could have done a lot more damage against Robert Whittaker
When Darren Till made his UFC debut he instantly became a must-watch talent in the Welterweight division. He came into UFC with an unbeaten record and unparalleled skillsets in striking. Now, the unbeaten streak is long gone, but he is still one of the best strikers in UFC and he proved that in his last fight against Whittaker. However, the impact of the injured knee of Till on the outcome of the fight was massive.
Darren Till came very close to finishing Whittaker when he cracked him with a perfectly placed left elbow. Till, who is a southpaw striker, had to fight the majority of the fight with an injured right knee. That takes out the majority of weapons in the Bristish fighter's arsenal.
Darren Till is a master at winning rounds on the judges' scorecard and we have seen that in his fight against Stephen Thompson. Till feints a lot with his in and out movement and one of the most crucial weapons in his arsenal is his leg kicks.
In the fight against Stephen Thompson, Darren Till threw more leg kicks than his opponent. Till's leg kicks in that fight constituted 39% of his total significant strikes.
While in the fight against Gastelum, this number was 41%. However, in the fight against Whittaker, it dropped down significantly to 12%.
Another important aspect fo Darren Till's striking is his distance management. He is brilliant at getting in and out of the range. His left hand is lethal only when he can explode when he can close the distance and land it perfectly when the opportunity comes his way. Darren Till does not just overextend and land his left hand as Conor McGregor.
Till would have beaten Whittaker had he not injured his knee in the second round as the fight would have been a really close one and Till would have had a lot more success against Whittaker.