Darren Till says he had to battle demons while getting past recent career adversity, but he’s now ready to look forward with renewed determination. The former welterweight title contender takes on former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker on Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Till. Their crucial showdown tops the bill at UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, with the main UFC Fight Night card set for 8 p.m. ET. Till rose to stardom and the top ranking at welterweight behind an 18-fight unbeaten streak to start his career.

However, his career momentum was halted in the form of back-to-back stoppage losses. He’s now reinventing himself at middleweight and faces a top-ranked former champion in just his second fight in the division. Whittaker is a -120 favorite (risk $120 to win $100), while Till is a +100 underdog in the latest Whittaker vs. Till odds from William Hill. In the co-main event, Mauricio Rua (-200) meets Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+175) 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 Nicolas Dalby (-270) to get the best of Jesse Ronson (+230) in a clash of welterweight prospects. 

Ronson (21-10) is beginning a second stint with the UFC following successful stints with a variety of promotions. The 34-year-old Canadian was signed to the UFC in 2013 and went winless in three bouts against upper-tier competition, with one defeat coming by split decision against former title challenger Kevin Lee. 

Dalby (18-3-1) is looking for the second consecutive victory to kick off his UFC career. The 35-year-old Danish fighter was signed following a four-fight unbeaten run in the Cage Warriors promotion. He defeated veteran Alex Oliveira by decision in his UFC debut last September. 

“Dalby should be the better fighter everywhere,” Marley told SportsLine. “He will be the fighter striking at a higher pace, and I would say he is more dangerous on his feet and on the ground as well.”

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 (-120) vs. Darren Till (+100)
Mauricio Rua (-200) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (+175)
Alexander Gustafsson (-300) vs. Fabricio Werdum (+250)
Carla Esparza (+130) vs. Maria Rodriguez (-150)
Paul Craig (-110) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (-110)
Nicolas Dalby (-270) vs. Jesse Ronson (+230)
Alex Oliveira (-175) vs. Peter Sobotta (+155)
Jai Herbert (+135) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (-155)
Tom Aspinall (-200) vs. Jake Collier (+170)
Movsar Evloev (-190) vs. Mike Grundy (+170)
Tanner Boser (-240) vs. Raphael Pessoa (+200)
Bethe Correia (+100) vs. Pannie Kianzad (-120)
Ramazan Emeev (-380) vs. Niklas Stolze (+310)