Darren Till is ready to take on another tough opponent in his new weight class at Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The British sensation, who previously fought for the welterweight title, moved up to middleweight division after devastating defeats at the hands of Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal respectively.
Seeking a fresh start in his UFC career, Till made his middleweight debut in the co-main event of UFC 244 opposite Kelvin Gastelum.
Coming off a fight for the ages with Israel Adesanya, Gastelum was considered as the heavy favourite to win the New York co-headliner.
While many counted out ‘The Gorilla,’ he shocked the world with a split decision win over Gastelum, proving he belongs at 180 pounds.
Following the win, Till was happy that he has been called out many times by other 180-pounders.
“Grateful to see these middleweights all calling me out! They know who the $ is in this division! Everyone will get theirs! Sincerely, The Gorilla.”
Good To Go
One of the most recent callouts came from the division’s former champion, Robert Whittaker.
‘Bobby Knuckles’ was last seen fighting Israel Adesanya in their unification bout at UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia.
Suffering his first loss at 180-pounds, Whittaker cruised to a second-round technical knockout defeat to relinquish his middleweight strap to the Kiwi-Nigerian fighter.
It was also the end of a nine-fight winning streak for Whittaker, which includes two-straight victories against UFC veteran, Yoel Romero.
Looking to bounce back from this recent setback, Whittaker said he is interested in fighting the Liverpudlian in his home country.
“That’s the fight I’m currently interested in. Plus I’ve never been to Europe before, so what better reason to go?” the Australian told The Daily Telegraph.
In a pair of tweets, Till accepted Whittaker’s challenge to fight at UFC London.
“Let’s at UFC London then @robwhittakermma? #YouAreNotReady,” he wrote.
“I’m ready to fight now to be honest. Fuck injuries, fuck time off, fuck it all. When are you ready @robwhittakermma ? Need to know basis…”
Title Contention
If the Nevada-based promotion decides to book Till and Whittaker in March 2020, the fight could serve as a potential title-eliminator.
Till would have to dig deep to his arsenal again if he wants to pull off another upset against the dominant Whittaker.
Before finding a renewed confidence from his win against Gastelum, the British fighter admitted that he considered faking an injury to pull out of the UFC 244 fight.
“Just to get in there tonight, I tell you, I was trying to fake an injury before walking out,” he said, per MMA Fighting.
“I was thinking of an injury to fake because I just simply did not want to get in there.”
“This is probably a thing fighters don’t talk about. But you know me and I’m honest. That’s just where I was at.”
“Now, I’m here. Confidence is back. Like (expletive) all these middleweights. I’m coming for everything. It’s back.”
Can Darren Till overcome Robert Whittaker in a middleweight fight?
Tell us your early predictions in the comment section below.
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Darren Till and Robert Whittaker)