Whittaker back to best as Fight Island draws to a close

Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker bounced back to defeat Darren Till Sunday as UFC’s first “Fight Island” drew to a successful close in Abu Dhabi.

“My brain is on overload,” Whittaker said after throwing everything at England’s Till in unanimous points win, with all three judges scoring 48-47 for the Australian.

“That fight was so stressful,” Whittaker added. “I hope the fans and everybody can appreciate it because that was one of the most technical fights I’ve ever had.”

Whittaker’s win brought the curtain down on the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s successful excursion to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The 26 square kilometre Yas Island resort complex was sealed off as the Las Vegas-based UFC shielded its fighters from the coronavirus pandemic.

Around 2,500 staff and fighters set up camp under strict bio-secure protocols with constant testing for COVID-19 before, during and after arrival and then regular follow-up checks throughout.

Those who tested positive for coronavirus were excluded, with the biggest casualty being Brazilian Gilbert Burns, who lost his shot at Nigerian-American UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman two weeks ago as a result.

The 29-year-old Whittaker (22-5) said before the contest that the only thing that worried him was Till’s powerful left fist, a weapon that had given the man from Liverpool 10 knockout victories in an 18-2-1 record coming into the fight.