Darren Till Is “Done” At Welterweight After A Few More Fights
Darren Till‘s time at welterweight may very well be coming to a close.
The Englishman is closing in on his first UFC title opportunity this weekend. He’ll challenge Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC 228 on pay-per-view (PPV) in Dallas, Texas. Till is seeking to dethrone “T-Wood” and capture the welterweight title.
It’s no secret, however, that Till has had his fair share of issues with the weight cut to 170 pounds. In his last fight he came in well overweight against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
His size alone is argument enough to suggest a jump up in weight as high as 205 pounds. Despite this, Till is still chasing his dream of becoming the UFC’s 170-pound champion. Whether he accomplishes that this weekend or not, he seems pretty confident about what’s next for him.
Speaking to media recently, Till admitted that his time in the welterweight division is limited (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“Only a few more fights at welterweight and I’m done,” Darren Till said. “I’ve said I want to go to middleweight. It’s just… I see a lot of guys and they’re chasing money fights. They’re winning titles and they’re calling either the higher or the lower category or they’re calling for that super fight,” he explained.
“When I take that belt, I want to defend that belt and then I want to go up to middleweight, but that doesn’t mean that I want to go up and challenge the champion. I would like to earn my stripes in that division too. I feel there are a lot of good guys in that division.”
“There’s one guy that I wouldn’t like to fight, Yoel Romero. I’m glad he’s gone up, he’s a f*ckin’ beast,” he said, before bursting into laughter.”
Should Till be defeated this weekend perhaps a jump up to middleweight would be more immediate. It’s hard to believe the Englishman would forfeit the title immediately after winning it.
185 pounds may be a more suitable division for Till weight-wise, however, the competition will be stiff. With rising stars such as Paulo Costa waiting in the wings, there are some intriguing match-ups awaiting Till at middleweight.
