The UFC will continue with UFC Fight Island 174 on Saturday, July 25, at 8:00 pm EST, broadcast by ESPN and featuring Robert Whittaker and Darren Till.
UFC Fight Night 174: Main Card Overview
The UFC has been running strong since the event debut at Fight Island in June. Since then, Fight Island contests have been frequent, as UFC President Dana White had promised prior to the first bout hosted in Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.
UFC Fight Island 3 AKA UFC Fight Night 174 is returning on Saturday, July 25 with 15 fights and a seven-fight main card, which promises to pack a lot of action in a single edition of the UFC.
The two stars of the event will be Robert Whittaker (21-5-0) and Darren Till (18-2-1). Meanwhile, the other contenders in the fight feature some decent and talented fighters, not least Shogun Rua, Antonio Nogueira, Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez.
We will focus on the fight between Whittaker and Till as it promises to pack the most action. The event will be available live on Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 pm EST on ESPN. With this in mind, let’s first take a look at the available odds for all contenders in the main card.
Odds to Win UFC Fight Night 174 Main Card
| Fighter | Odds |
| Robert Whittaker | -120 |
| Darren Till | -110 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Shogun Rua | -190 |
| Antonio Rogerio Nogueira | +155 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Fabricio Werdum | +265 |
| Alexander Gustafsson | -350 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Carla Esparza | +140 |
| Marina Rodriguez | -170 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Paul Craig | -115 |
| Gadzhimurad Antigulov | -115 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Alex Oliveira | -175 |
| Peter Sobotta | +145 |
| Fighter | Odds |
| Khamzat Chimaev | -900 |
| Rhys McKee | +550 |
Whittaker vs Till: UFC Fight Night 174 Headline Fight
Two strong contenders are heading into the main fight on Saturday. Robert Whittaker is fresh out of a loss against Israel Adesanya in UFC 243 in October 2019. Yet, before he met his maker, Whittaker secured nine straight fights in a row, boosting his overall profile and standing in the UFC community.
His unfortunate loss by KO has been anti-climactic, but it hardly detracts from the fighter’s stature. In his most recent bouts, he managed to secure victories against Y. Romero back-to-back in UFC 213 and UFC 225 respectively.
Before that, he faced J. Souza and won against him by KO/TKO, picking up his method of victory from 2016 when he faced D. Brunson and also secured a KO/TKO win. His career has also pitted him against more worthwhile fighters, and not least Derek Brunson, Uriah Hall, and Jacare Souza. He has won all fights against them.
What then about the man in the other corner? Can Darren Till live up to the hype and deliver a performance to match Whittaker’s own? If you ask the sportsbooks, that is actually quite feasible. Darren Till has done and faired well in the UFC. He has only two losses and one draw.
However, both of his losses were recent, one against T. Woodley in UFC 228 and one against J. Masvidal in UFC Fight Night where he headlined the event. Yet, the fighter shined in UFC 244 winning against Kelvin Gastelum.
Tale of the Tape: Whittaker vs Till
| Robert Whittaker | Stats | Darren Till |
| 29 | Age | 27 |
| 6’0″ | Height | 6’0″ |
| 73.5″ | Reach | 75″ |
| 5 | UFC finishes | 2 |
Physically, both fighters are on par. Sure, there is some reach advantage for Till, but this is not nearly enough to give him a sizeable advantage. If anything, Whittaker has had 5 UFC finishes, but he has also lost more fights, even though the pair have fought in the same number of bouts.
More Main Card Predictions for UFC Fight Night 174
The rest of the card also looks quite promising and this is the right moment to take a step back and take a look at what other fights are on the card. Here are our previews and recommendations for the upcoming bouts:
- Alexander Gustafsson (-350): Gustafsson is facing a rather subpar opponent against Fabricio Werdum. Werdum just hasn’t been himself of late, with two straight losses against opponents that he should have defeated.
- Marian Rodriguez (-163): If you haven’t been following female UFC, don’t worry, Marian Rodriguez is an up-and-coming talent and possibly a contender for the highest echelons of the fighting world. Let’s wait and see.
- Paul Craig (-115): Paul Craig tends to lose against fighters who can knock him out flat and cold. Provided he protects himself against Antigulov’s powerful punches, he should be alright. That’s good news, because when he won, the Russian mostly won by submission.
The rest of the fights would be pushing our luck a little, so we recommend that you stick with the above picks. They are a little more volatile, though. In terms of potential, there are quite a few worthwhile bets on the cards.