Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports
Coming into his first fight at Middleweight against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 last November, Darren Till was looking for a new lease on his combat life after suffering two straight defeats at Welterweight.
With a split-decision win over Kelvin under his belt, Till now believes that if he can score a victory over former division champion, Robert Whittaker, this Sat. night (July 25, 2020) at UFC on ESPN 14 he will go straight to a title shot. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about the quantity of victories, but quality.
“If I beat Robert Whittaker Saturday night, the only way to go is to the title. I’ve come to Middleweight and a lot of people say he’s only had two fights, but look at my two fights,” explained Till during a recent media scrum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“This is why for every young fighter out there, or fighter in the UFC who sometimes may turn down fights. You have to take these big risks because it will pay off. I didn’t campaign for a title shot after I beat Stephen Thompson in Liverpool. I didn’t quite feel I deserved it. If I beat Robert Whittaker, Saturday, which is a big ask and a big mountain to climb, the only fight for me is a title fight.”
“The Gorilla” came up short in his lone title shot at 170 pounds, losing to now-former champion, Tyron Woodley, at UFC 228 back in 2018 via second-round submission (see it here).
Unfortunately for Till, two other men have also been putting in work at 185 pounds, as Jared Cannonier is currently on a three-fight win streak and ranked No. 3. Meanwhile, Jack Hermansson (No. 6), is 5-1 in his last six fights and most recently forced Gastelum to tap at UFC Fight Island 2 in just 78 seconds, so he is also looking for a championship fight.
Speaking of which, Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa are set to collide at UFC 253 on Sept. 19 in a highly-anticipated title fight. So should Till defeat Whittaker, he could be looking at a title eliminator bout against “The Joker” to see who deserves the shot at the strap.
And that’s assuming Cannonier doesn’t return earlier than expected, or Whittaker goes back to his head-hunting ways in a couple of days.