Robert Whittaker Edges Darren Till in UFC on ESPN 14 Main Event

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

After a brief hiatus, Robert Whittaker is back on track.

The former middleweight champion returned to form in the UFC on ESPN 14 headliner, winning a closely-contested unanimous decision over Darren Till at the Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night. All three cageside judges struck 48-47 scorecards in favor of Whittaker, who took time off due to burnout following his championship defeat to Israel Adesanya last October.

“That fight was so stressful,” Whittaker said. “Honestly, I hope the fans and everybody can appreciate it. That was one of the most technical fights I've ever had to fight.”

Till (18-3-1, 6-3-1 UFC) threatened to make it an early night for Whittaker (21-5, 12-3 UFC), as he dropped his opponent with a clean elbow to the jaw in the first round. Till tagged his foe with several lefts on the feet after that, but Whittaker seemed to regain his senses by the end of the period.

It was Whittaker’s turn to seize momentum in Round 2, when he dropped Till with an overhand right. The Sydney resident then settled into Till’s guard, attacking with elbows to the head and short shots to the ribs in the most emphatic frame of the bout.

The contest took on a more deliberate pace from there, but it was Whittaker who landed with the superior volume, blending in leg kicks with punches to the head while Till often hesitated to pull the trigger. Till offered one final salvo in the fifth round, bloodying the side of Whittaker’s head with another standing elbow. “The Reaper” was unfazed, however, and he closed the round by pressuring for a takedown against the fence before the horn.

‘Shogun’ Improves to 3-0 Against Nogueira

Over the course of a trilogy that spanned two decades, Mauricio Rua just seems to have Antonio Rogerio Nogueira’s number.

“Shogun” improved to 3-0 against his fellow Pride Fighting Championships veteran, earning a split-decision triumph in a light heavyweight co-main event matchup. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 for Rua, while a third saw it 29-28 in favor of “Minotouro,” who seemed to be leaning toward retirement after the defeat.

“I wanted to share this Octagon with Mauricio Rua. He used to be a Pride world champion, UFC world champion,” Nogueira said. “To me it's an honor to be here, 44 years old. I think this time it's gonna be my last one, and I'm very grateful to share the ring with the champ Mauricio Rua.”

Nogueira (23-10, 6-7 UFC) set the tone early by rocking Rua (27-11-1, 11-9-1) with a straight left hand in the first round, and the left proved to be the weapon of choice for the 44-year-old Brazilian throughout the fight. The grizzled veterans proved willing to engage in entertaining exchanges, but over time, Rua asserted himself through kicks to the legs and body along with the occasional right hand. “Shogun” put one final stamp on the fight with a left hook counter and takedown late in Round 3, where he ended the contest landing ground-and-pound from above.

All three Rua-Nogueira bouts went the distance -- with two ending via split decision.

Related » UFC on ESPN 14 Round-by-Round Scoring

Werdum Armbars Gustafsson

Fabricio Werdum showed Alexander Gustafsson that being on the mat with a world-class heavyweight grappler just feels different.

Werdum (24-9-1, 12-6 UFC) halted a two-bout skid, submitting the former 205-pound title challenger with an armbar 2:30 into the opening stanza. Gustafsson, who was making his heavyweight debut, has been finished in his last three UFC appearances.

Gustafsson (18-7, 10-7 UFC) did well to fend off Werdum’s initial attempt at a single-leg takedown, and he punished the Brazilian with some hammerfists to the side the head for his efforts. “Vai Cavalo” proved to be relentless in his mindset, however, as he remain attached to Gustafsson and tripped him to the canvas from behind. The former heavyweight king then transitioned from a rear-naked choke to an armbar, worked to break Gustafsson’s grip with hammerfists and finally torqued the arm to force the tap in a matter of seconds.

“This is a very important fight for me,” Werdum said. “I've been waiting for a long time, my whole life is like a victory and I'm very happy. I'm almost crying now.”

Esparza Takes Split Verdict Over Rodriguez

A gritty Carla Esparza edged Marina Rodriguez via split decision in a pivotal clash between strawweight contenders. The former 115-pound champion received scorecards of 29-28 and 30-27 from the cageside judges, while a third submitted a 29-28 tally in favor of Rodriguez. “Cookie Monster” has won four straight UFC bouts -- all by going the distance.

Esparza (17-6, 8-4 UFC) relied on her wrestling, landing takedowns in every frame. Top position proved to be perilous at times for the Team Oyama product, as Rodriguez (12-1-1, 2-1-2 UFC) cut her open with a slicing elbow from the bottom in Round 1 that quickly turned into a sizable hematoma. Esparza was also plagued by questionable decision making, as leg lock attempts toward the end of the first and second frames resulted in Rodriguez reversing position and unleashing ferocious ground-and-pound from above. Still, it was Esparza’s relentless pressure and top control that ultimately won the day in a competitive bout.

Craig Triangles Antigulov

Paul Craig showed once again why it’s not wise to enter his guard.

The Scottish light heavyweight lured Gadzhimurad Antigulov into his comfort zone, framed a triangle choke and eventually coaxed a tap from his opponent at the 2:06 mark of Round 1. Craig (13-4-1, 5-4-1 UFC) has now won 12 of his 13 professional bouts by way of submission. Antigulov (20-7, 2-3) has lost three straight Octagon appearances.

Antigulov wasted little time closing the distance, where he landed a single-leg takedown with relative ease. However, Craig seemed to welcome the position, and although Antigulov managed to score some heavy shots from above, his aggression allowed “Bearjew” to gradually tighten the finishing maneuver. Eventually, Antigulov could no longer resist the squeeze.

Kicks Propel Oliveira Past Sobotta

Alex Oliveira captured a unanimous decision over Peter Sobotta in a welterweight showdown. All three cageside judges submitted identical 30-27 scorecards in favor of the Brazilian, who now owns a modest two-bout UFC winning streak.

Body kicks were the weapon of choice for Oliveira (22-8-1, 2 NC, 11-6, 1 NC UFC). “Cowboy” hurt Sobotta (17-7-1, 4-6 UFC) on more than one occasion with his legs, opened a cut on his opponent’s head with elbows and dropped the German with a counter right hand at the end of round two. Due to the arsenal of kicks coming in his direction, Sobotta struggled to get into boxing range for much of the fight.

Related » UFC on ESPN 14 Prelims: Trinaldo Clobbers Herbert

Chimaev Punishes McKee for TKO Win

Khamzat Chimaev might be a star in the making in the welterweight division.

For the second time in 10 days, the Allstars Training Center representative authored a dominant performance, earning a first-round technical knockout victory over Rhys McKee. A cascade of ground-and-pound brought a halt to the contest at the 3:09 mark of Round 1.

McKee (10-3-1, 0-1 UFC) was never competitive. Chimaev (8-0, 2-0 UFC) took McKee down immediately and spent the duration of the fight transitioning from one dominant position to another. Chimaev battered his opponent with a variety of punches, hammerfists and elbows from mount, and McKee was only able to last as long as he did thanks to an ability to keep moving under duress. Eventually, Chimaev’s onslaught was too much.

Continue Reading » UFC on ESPN 14 Prelims: Ronson Choke Stuns Dalby