Darren Till (18-5) doesn’t think highly of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.
After three straight losses, Till left UFC in February 2023, vowing to return to the organization for a title shot in the future. A former UFC welterweight title challenger who has also competed at middleweight, Till was recently asked for his thoughts on the current roster composition in both weight classes.
“I think the middleweight division is going to be a close one,” Till told talkSPORT recently. [make people] I’m angry. I’m sure I can win. [Dricus Du
Plessis]I know I can beat Sean Strickland, I know I can beat Paulo Costa. They’re all top class players. Izzy’s
[Israel
Adesanya] “I’m not going to reveal any names because that fight could have happened, could have happened or should have happened. Who knows when, but I know there’s a good chance I could be champion in that weight class. It’s pretty frustrating to be honest.”
But Till has no intention of disparaging the welterweight division. The Liverpool, England native considers the 170-pound division to be a very strong division with a “phenomenal” champion in Leon Edwards. Though he’s exchanged some harsh words with Edwards in the past, Till now admits to being a huge “Rocky” fan.
“Welterweight is a whole different game,” Till said. “There are a lot of good fighters, including the champion, who I’m a big fan of. We’ve been going head to head for years, but you know I’m a big fan of Leon. I come from a striking background myself, and I’ve fought him a few rounds. I think he’s a great fighter and a great guy. The thing about those two weight classes is that middleweight is the weight class for me to win, and welterweight is full of good fighters.”
Till began his UFC career with a 6-0 record before facing Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title in 2018. Till, who was 17-0 at the time, was unable to regain his momentum after submitting Woodley. Since losing the title, Till has gone 1-5 with the UFC, with all of his losses coming against top-tier opponents.
Till was scheduled to make his boxing debut against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight in July of this year. The bout has been postponed until November, but Till still intends to take part in the fight.
