Darren Till has reacted for the first time to his withdrawal from a fight against top 185lb contender Jack Hermansson.
According to a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN, fan-favourite striker, Till has been forced to withdraw from the UFC Vegas 16 headliner against the grappling ace, due to an undisclosed injury. Kevin Holland has received the call to replace Till.
“Breaking: Injury has forced Darren Till out of his UFC Fight Night main event against Jack Hermansson on Dec. 5 in Las Vegas. Kevin Holland steps in as a replacement,” Okamoto wrote on social media. “Hermansson’s reps say they sought a ranked replacement, but several of them turned it down and Hermansson was determined to get one more fight in before end of the year. Holland looking to become the first middleweight in UFC history with five wins in a single calendar year.”
Till took to social media to confirm the news and wish both men the best for their upcoming fight. The Englishman gave a special mention to Holland who is looking to secure his fifth UFC win of the calendar year.
“Good luck to both guys,” Till wrote. “I’ll be back next year. I hope Kevin gets to showcase himself against one of the top guys of the division… he’s as game as they come !”
Holland is still riding high after securing his fourth consecutive win of 2020 with a massive submission to slam stoppage win over Charlie Ontiveros at UFC Vegas 12. A victory over Hermansson would secure Holland’s status as the sole middleweight to lodge five wins in a calendar annum in the promotion’s history. It’ll also be a win that edges him one step closer to a shot at middleweight king Israel Adesanya who he called out following his win in Las Vegas on October 31.
Who should Darren Till fight when he returns in 2021?