Robert Whittaker is one of the best strikers in MMA, a master of combinations and closing distance. And he's someone who's not afraid to stand and trade with anyone, including the fearsome Yoel Romero, whom Whittaker has beaten twice.
Darren Till, meanwhile, is one of the best counterstrikers in the world -- with power in his left hand that could knock out any opponent.
The matchup is one that could lead to fireworks in the middleweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Fight Island could be getting a treat.
"Till is willing to brawl and throw," Syndicate MMA coach John Wood told ESPN, "and Whittaker is usually happy to oblige."
The bout doesn't just have the potential for entertainment, it's pivotal in the UFC's 185-pound division. Whittaker (20-5), the former champ, is No. 2 in ESPN's middleweight rankings, coming off a title loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 last October. Till (18-2-1) is ranked No. 6, with a win over No. 7 Kelvin Gastelum under his belt at UFC 244 last November in Till's middleweight debut.
The winner of Whittaker vs. Till could earn a title shot, although Jared Cannonier remains firmly in that picture.
ESPN asked some experts in the sport, including American Top Team coach Mike Brown, who has cornered against both, for their insider opinions on what to expect and for predictions.
Mike Brown, American Top Team MMA coach
They're both high-level, top-five guys. One is the former champ, one is a top contender. Both are really, really good. I think Whittaker has superior footwork and unpredictability. And he'll get the job done. But it's not easy to predict.
I think this is really good for Till. I think we're now just seeing Till's full potential [after moving up from welterweight]. I don't think killing yourself cutting weight is the way to do it. I'm sure we're gonna see the best Till we've ever seen and it's only gonna get better. I think he'll be much better at this weight. He was a huge welterweight. That's not the answer. Till is a monster, man. His best days are still coming. We'll see what his potential really is.
I'm a huge fan of Whittaker. I love his footwork. I love the way he mixes it up, the way he covers distance. It's like modern-day MMA technique that you don't see in other combat sports. Till and Whittaker are both technical in different ways. Whittaker uses more modern-day MMA stuff, whereas Till uses more traditional boxing and Muay Thai skills. You're seeing more and more of the Whittaker-type footwork [in MMA] all the time. The sport is really moving in that direction, especially for the smaller guys.
Whittaker lost to Adesanya. Adesanya is top of the food chain. I thought Whittaker was fighting great. I thought he was winning that first round until he got dropped in the last five seconds or whatever it was. Then he got dropped and hurt in the second. Adesanya has got the highest striking pedigree in the sport.
I'd guess Whittaker and Till will go to decision, because they're so evenly matched. But somebody could always get lucky. They could fight five times and you'd get five different results. If somebody gets the other out of there early, there's likely to be a little luck involved.
Jack Hermansson, UFC middleweight contender
Super interesting fight, two great stand-up fighters. It's gonna be interesting to see the shape and hunger Robert has. I think Till is gonna be super motivated now to get toward the title. I feel like if Robert Whittaker comes with the best he can be, I'll give him the small edge in that one. He was the champ for a time. I think he's great, but it's gonna be a really interesting matchup, enjoyable to watch.
I think Whittaker will try to close distance with his attacks, his combinations. Till will probably look for the counterstrikes. Till kind of likes to go forward and provoke the counters. Whittaker is really, really good. He puts several punches and kicks together, and it's hard to counter.
John Wood, Syndicate MMA head coach
It's a super interesting fight. Both guys are studs. It really depends on which Whittaker shows up. Till is gonna be a lot bigger. They're both durable guys. They're both scrappers. On paper, it looks like it should be a hell of a fight.
Whittaker just kind of seems like he's lost a little bit of that chin -- not even a little bit of chin, but just kind of slowed down. I'm not sure if he's lost his drive. I know he's come out and said some things [about possibly retiring]. Whittaker's fighting style just isn't one that suits a long, healthy career. His willingness to get in there and put on incredible fights is super fun to watch -- he's a very talented guy. But the abuse he's taken the last few fights, the last few years might have put some wear and tear on his body that changes the way he can fight.
Whittaker is obviously very talented and the former world champion, but Till is a little bit younger, a little bit more healthy and a little bit hungrier. I feel that Till will probably pull this one out. I don't know if he'll finish him. It's a five-rounder. I feel like I see this one going to decision, just because they're both super tough. I feel like it'll be a five-round decision for Till.
Till has flashes of being very technical like Whittaker. I think the willingness to bang for Whittaker -- if he's willing to get in there and mix it up with Till, he's gonna have a long night and get beat up quite a bit.
Eddie Cha, Fight Ready striking coach
It's an evenly matched fight. I give a little edge to Whittaker, I think. He's a little bit quicker. Just skill set-wise, I give a little bit of the edge to Whittaker.
But I mean, Till is awesome. He can beat anybody. He beat Donald Cerrone, he beat Kelvin Gastelum.
It's tricky to say, because coming off knockouts [Whittaker's last fight was a KO loss to Adesanya], people can be a little bit gun-shy, you don't know how they're gonna perform. Till got knocked out by Masvidal too. So we'll see how they show up. They're both gamers, though.
Everybody knows Till's weaknesses on the ground after the Tyron Woodley fight. But some guys are so stuck on striking too. Ideally, that would be part of the game plan for Whittaker, to mix it up a little bit with takedowns. Whittaker has that ability. Whittaker has a little bit more arsenal in his game, like wrestling. But you never know, that left hand of Till is an equalizer. When he's on, he's on.
Depending on which way you look at it, Till sometimes doesn't have the highest output. As long as you're staying busy, hitting some shots, you've gotta give the edge to Whittaker. Till is a counter-fighter, and Whittaker comes in. That does create opportunities. Till's countering is mostly with his hands, though. If Whittaker can keep him honest by kicking a little bit -- high, low -- wrestling, mix up his punches, level changes, stuff like that, I think it's too much to handle.
I don't think Whittaker's layoff and outside issues with motivation will be a factor. I don't think he'd be fighting if he wasn't ready. He's been a world champion before and he has the mindset of a world champion. The rule is once you lose your chin, that's it. But I don't think that's it. I think he walked into the check hook from Adesanya. I think it was kind of a flash knockout. Hopefully he's good to go and it's an exciting fight. I think Whittaker wins a decision and he could definitely finish him.
Ray Longo, LAW MMA head coach
I wasn't high on Till. I thought Kelvin Gastelum would beat him, but Till won in a boring fight. I think Whittaker will be too much for him. He's fought the bigger and better guys. I like Whittaker. I like what he stands for, I like everything about him. I think Whittaker takes that fight. That would be a huge win for Till if he gets by him.
Masvidal knocked Till out bad. He beat him at his own game. It was a huge size advantage for Till. Who the hell has Till beaten? He hasn't really beaten anybody. The Stephen Thompson fight I think was a hometown decision. Donald Cerrone is hot and cold. In Cowboy, Till beat a guy that was already getting knocked out a couple times. That was his only decent win. I don't think he has the depth that these other guys have. That's a tough division, 185 pounds.
Whittaker has beaten Romero -- who is no joke -- twice. Adesanya didn't want anything to do with Romero. He stayed away from him. I just don't know if Till really fought anybody. He's got good power in his left hand, and Masvidal did say he was strong as s---. He did knock Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson down. I don't know, I go with Whittaker in that fight, for sure. I think he's just bringing too much experience. He should be too much for him.
I think Till is a one-trick pony. In a five-rounder, I think Whittaker stops him. If Till gets by Whittaker, then he's a proven entity.
Leon Edwards, UFC welterweight contender
I think Darren gets it done. I think he wants it more. I know Whittaker has come out lately saying he's not really feeling [like] fighting. I think Darren gets it done skill set-wise. He's more hungry for the victory, probably. I'll give it to Darren.