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 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?
