Darren Till embraces his larger-than-life personality, which has been polarizing among MMA fans. Whether he has the talent to match remains a looming question, and the confident fighter hopes to silence his doubters when he faces former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till. Their clash headlines the UFC Fight Night card at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, with the main card scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The fifth-ranked Till built an undefeated record against mostly meager competition before getting stopped in a welterweight title bout and in his subsequent fight.
However, he remains a big enough draw to secure a fight at Saturday's UFC on ESPN with Whittaker, the former champ who hopes to take a step towards regaining his title with a bounce-back victory. Whittaker is a -135 favorite (risk $135 to win $100), while Till is a +115 underdog in the latest Whittaker vs. Till odds from William Hill. In the co-main event, Mauricio Rua (-190) meets Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+160) in a battle of veteran light heavyweights. Before settling your UFC on ESPN selections, make sure you see what SportsLine MMA expert Kyle Marley has to say, considering the epic run he's on.
Marley won the first-ever "ToutMaster" UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every single UFC card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past 17 months, $100 bettors who have followed Marley's picks are up more than $20,000. The accomplished MMA analyst has been on fire in 2020, as he has connected on 14 of his last 15 main-event selections, a stretch that includes a streak of five underdogs. At UFC Fight Night last Saturday, Marley accurately predicted a victory for Jack Hermannson (-105) against Gastelum (-115) in the co-main event. He also called a dominant victory for Calvin Kattar (-300) against Dan Ige (+250) in their featherweight main event last Wednesday. Anyone who has consistently followed Marley is way up.
Now, with UFC on ESPN fast approaching, Marley has carefully studied every matchup on the card, identified the best value in the UFC odds and released his MMA picks for every fight. Those selections are only available at SportsLine.
Whittaker vs. Till preview
Whittaker (20-5) needs a win to get back into title contention and help erase the memory of his last performance. He appeared listless in front of his native Australian fans while succumbing to a second-round stoppage by Israel Adesanya. The defeat stopped a nine-fight winning streak, and Whittaker said afterward he planned to take time off to clear his head and consider his future.
The 29-year-old Australian can cement his top position with a victory, but it could be difficult against the dangerous but enigmatic Till. The outspoken Englishman started his MMA career with an 18-fight unbeaten streak and matching hype, only to see his momentum crash into adversity in the form of two straight losses. UFC president Dana White has said he admittedly rushed Till (18-2-1) into a title bout against former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, who stopped him the second round of their lopsided September 2018 bout.
He was then knocked out before his hometown fans by Jorge Masvidal in March of last year. Till finally made his long-anticipated move to middleweight and managed an upset decision victory over Gastelum. His matchup with Whittaker at UFC on ESPN is bound to be a litmus test as to whether he belongs among the division's elite. You can only see Marley's Whittaker vs. Till picks here.
Top UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till predictions
We'll share one of Marley's UFC Fight Night predictions here: He is backing Gadzhimurad Antigulov (+115) to get a stoppage victory against Paul Craig (-135) in a light heavyweight matchup.
Craig (12-4-1) is known as one of the better submission artists in the UFC. He joined the promotion in December 2016 and has emerged as a gatekeeper of sorts, often pitted against rising prospects. The 32-year-old Scottish fighter has won his share and owns a 2-1-1 mark in his last four outings. His last bout ended in a draw against veteran Mauricio Rua.
Antigulov (20-6) is looking to make a mark in the UFC, where he has split four bouts after dominating competition in lesser promotions. The 33-year-old Russian hopes to snap a streak of back-to-back stoppage losses, both in the first round.
"I expect Antigulov to land an early takedown and try to get a first-round finish," Marley told SportsLine.
How to make UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Whittaker picks
Marley also has strong picks for Till vs. Whittaker and every other bout on the UFC Fight Night card. He's also backing one fighter who "will get takedowns and win rounds." You can see those UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till picks only at SportsLine.
Who wins Till vs. Whittaker at UFC Fight Night? And how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight on Saturday's UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till card, all from the accomplished expert who's up more than $20,000 and has nailed 14 of the last 15 main events, and find out.
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till odds (via William Hill)
Robert Whittaker (-135) vs. Darren Till (+115)
Mauricio Rua (-190) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+160)
Alexander Gustafsson (-340) vs. Fabricio Werdum (+270)
Carla Esparza (+155) vs. Maria Rodriguez (-180)
Paul Craig (-135) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (+115)
Nicolas Dalby (-260) vs. Jesse Ronson (+210)
Alex Oliveira (-170) vs. Peter Sobotta (+145)
Jai Herbert (+105) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (-125)
Tom Aspinall (-300) vs. Jake Collier (+240)
Movsar Evloev (-280) vs. Mike Grundy (+230)
Tanner Boser (-240) vs. Raphael Pessoa (+230)
Bethe Correia (+130) vs. Pannie Kianzad (-155)
Ramazan Emeev (-400) vs. Niklas Stolze (+310)
