This Sunday, July 26 at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Robert "the Reaper" Whittaker returns after a nine-month hiatus to take on surging middleweight contender Darren "the Gorilla" Till in the five-round main event.

It will be Whittaker's first bout since losing his UFC Middleweight title to Israel Adesanya on October 5, 2019.

Till, meanwhile, looks to cement his place in the Middleweight top five after taking a split decision over former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum in November, which was his first fight in the division. Prior to this, he had a tumultuous run in the UFC Welterweight division, having early success before a pair of knockout losses - to then-champion Tyron Woodley and subsequently to Jorge Masvidal.

Darren Till comes from a traditional Muay Thai background, training in the sport since the age of 12 and turning professional at the age of 15. He moved to Brazil in 2012 and began training in MMA. Till came to the UFC with a 12-0 professional MMA record, with his Muay Thai heritage clearly visible in his smothering, high-pressure fighting style, with 10 of his 18 professional MMA wins being by knockout.

Robert Whittaker began his professional MMA career in 2008, before making his way to the UFC in 2012 via the Ultimate Fighter reality TV show. He competed in freestyle wrestling in Australia from 2015 onwards, qualifying to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Despite his wrestling credentials, he is known more as an explosive striker, with nine of his 20 professional MMA wins coming by way of knockout.

Stats

The two men match up very evenly on paper, with both men having made their start in the UFC's Welterweight division before coming up to their more natural 185lb. Robert Whittaker's UFC stats show a higher striking output and takedown effectiveness, while Till's show a reduced pace but higher accuracy.

The fight will be contested in the open stance, meaning that Till is a natural southpaw while Whittaker is orthodox. In a striking battle this opens up both men to the power kicks and straight crosses of the other, traditionally resulting in a battle for the outside position of the lead foot in order to unload power shots with less risk of counterattack.

The way this fight goes will depend on the strategy employed by both fighters. Historically, Till fights tall and long, with lots of pressure. When he faced Kelvin Gastelum, a dangerous wrestler, Till used a wider and lower stance in anticipation of the takedown.

If Till employs this wider stance in this fight, Whittaker should use the low kick early and often, ending his combinations with punches. If Till uses his traditional Muay Thai style, standing tall and walking him down with power kicks and straight punches, Whittaker should level change early, setting the tone with the takedown threat and forcing Till to react or be taken down.

Robert Whittaker has historically done very well against heavy-hitters who come forward recklessly trying to take his head off; his notable KO wins over Derek Brunson and Brad Tavares attest to this. However, Till is a much more technically-sound striker than either of these men.

Odds

The bookmakers have this one fairly even, with Bet365 having Whittaker as a slight favourite; paying $1.80 to Till's $2.00,

Given the wrestling acumen of Whittaker, he has more ways to win this fight. He has displayed a more complete MMA game than Till, with more weapons in his arsenal. However, the pin-point accuracy and power of Till could cause problems for Whittaker if he is unable to establish the takedown threat or his leg kicks early.

UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs Till takes place this Sunday, with the main card starting at 3pm NZT. It will air free on UFC Fight Pass.