“When the UFC comes to me and offers me a title shot, what the (expletive) do you want me to do?” — Darren Till
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) wanted to book Tyron Woodley vs. Colby Covington for the UFC 228 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this September in Dallas, Texas, but the interim welterweight titleholder passed in favor of nasal surgery.
Considering “The Chosen One” has been out of action for over a year, the promotion — which probably should have skipped the substitute strap in the first place — opted to strip “Chaos” of the temporary title and elevate Darren Till into a Woodley title fight.
Much to the chagrin of UFC fans around the globe.
“What do you want me to do? Just say no? Go, ‘Dana, it’s fine, I don’t want that title shot, give it to someone else if they deserve it,’” Till told MMAnytt.com. “If Dana’s offering the title shot, I’m not going to say no. MMA fans are so amazing, but also, they can be toxic at the same time. Not just MMA fans, the fighters and people in general.”
The chief complaint against Till (17-0-1), as it pertains to getting the next crack at the crown, is how badly he missed weight for his UFC Liverpool showdown against Stephen Thompson, a bout he ultimately won back in May.
“Everyone keeps going on with the weight, the weight, the weight,” Till said. “I’ve never seen someone get so much (expletive) for not making weight one time. It’s like I’ve never made weight. I can’t wait to come back and make the weight to be the new UFC welterweight world champion.”
If he does, the 25 year-old Till promises to make his first title defense against Covington. If “Chaos” is still on the shelf, however, “The Gorilla” will gladly settle his longstanding beef with top contender Kamaru Usman.
The next few months are going to be very, very interesting.