After hometown favorite Darren Till missed weight by 3.5 pounds yesterday for his headlining bout against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at today’s (Sun., May 27, 2018) UFC Liverpool from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, Thompson’s camp laid forth several terms they required Till to meet for the fight to move forward.
The main tenets were that Till had to weigh in at no more than 188 pounds on fight day and hand over 30 percent of his purse.
He was unsure if he would be able to meet those terms in a healthy fashion, but earlier today Till did just that by weighing in at 187.3 during a second weigh-in which Thompson’s team was allowed to watch firsthand. Ariel Helwani tweeted a photo a source sent him of the scale confirming Till made the second weight:
Media wasn’t allowed in the room when Darren Till weighed in, however, here’s a pic of the scale provided to me by a source who was in the room. As you can see, 187.3 pounds. Crisis averted. pic.twitter.com/c1mkXoncWw
For what it’s worth, Till was given an extra hour to check in for the weigh-ins yesterday due to a family emergency that may have affected his cut.
However, he’s known as one of if not the biggest welterweights in the UFC, and it is his second time missing weight, although this one was obviously much more high-profile due to the fact he’s headlining a high-profile main event in the UFC’s first voyage to Liverpool.
Thompson weighed 185.2 pounds at 12:30 p.m. local time.
UFC Liverpool (UFC Fight Night 130) is here, and it goes down today (Sunday, May 27, 2018) from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at 11 a.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Darren Till vs. Stephen Thompson in a welterweight bout will headline this show while Neil Magny vs. Craig White in a welterweight bout will serve as the co-main event.
Rounding out this six bout main card is Arnold Allen vs. Mads Burnell in a featherweight bout, Makwan Amirkhani vs. Jason Knight in a featherweight bout, Claudio Silva vs. Nordine Taleb in a welterweight bout, and Darren Stewart vs. Eric Spicely in a middleweight bout.
According to oddsmakers Thompson, is a -130 favorite over Till, who is a +110 underdog. Other odds for the main card include White being a +450 underdog against Magny, who is a -600 favorite. Here are the full betting odds:
MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1/1 p.m. ET) Stephen Thompson (-130) vs. Darren Till (+110) Neil Magny (-600) vs. Craig White (+450) Arnold Allen (-270) vs. Mads Burnell (+130) Jason Knight (-145) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (+125) Nordine Taleb (-300) vs. Claudio Henrique da Silva (+250) Eric Spicely (-210) vs. Darren Stewart (+175) PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1/11 a.m. ET)
Tom Breese (-310) vs. Daniel Kelly (+255) Carlo Pedersoli Jr. (-170) vs. Brad Scott (+150) Molly McCann (-250) vs. Gillian Robertson (+210) Lina Lansberg (-130) vs. Gina Mazany (+110)
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass/10:30 a.m. ET) Elias Theodorou (-400) vs. Trevor Smith (+325)
UFC Fight Night 130, which will take place tomorrow (May 27, 2018) morning live on FOX Sports 1 from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, may not be the deepest card from top to bottom, but it certainly features some intriguing fights.
In the main event, former two-time welterweight title challenger and No. 1-ranked 170-pound contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will take on Liverpool native and rising star Darren Till in a five-round bout.
The co-main event, meanwhile, features another welterweight bout, as veteran Neil Magny is set to take on late replacement Craig White.
Without further ado, let’s take a deeper look into the fights topping off UFC Liverpool:
Photo Credit: Per Haljestam for USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Thompson vs. Darren Till
In this fight, we have a bout between two of the best strikers in the division.
Thompson, an established contender, is coming off of a victory over Jorge Masvidal last November in New York City. Prior to that, he had fought divisional champion Tyron Woodley to a majority draw in November 2016 and lost a decision in the rematch this past March.
Stylistically, “Wonderboy” is an incredibly creative striker, hailing from a background in Karate, while also being a highly decorated kickboxer. Often fighting with his hands down, Thompson likes to draw opponents in where he then uses a unique, but effective brand of footwork to avoid damage and incorporate his counter-striking style.
Known most for his wide arsenal of kicks, Thompson is also dangerous with his hands in addition to possessing lethal pinpoint accuracy with all of his strikes. And while he may not be considered the most powerful puncher, 7 of his 14 professional victories have come by way of T/KO.
In terms of grappling, Thompson has typically been able to hold his own in the clinch and with the help of former middleweight champion Chris Weidman, his wrestling has improved tremendously over the years. And while he’s not known for his submission game, “Wonderboy” has shown solid defense if he does indeed get taken down.
Moving on to Till, the 25-year-old holds a 16-0-1 professional record is coming off of the biggest victory of his career, as he ran through longtime veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone last October in Gdansk, Poland.
Like Thompson, Till is an ultra-talented striker, although he comes from a Muay Thai background. A massive welterweight, Till fights out of the southpaw position and his best weapons are thrown from the left side. His counter left hand, which is a bit reminiscent of Conor McGregor’s, is likely his best strike, but he also possesses some solid kicks, which are also often thrown from his left side.
And in terms of power, Till is likely one of the hardest hitters in the division, as 10 of his 16 professional victories have come by way of T/KO. Despite being a counter striker of sorts, the Englishman also implements a sense of aggressiveness when needed.
In terms of grappling, Till is skilled in the clinch due to his Muay Thai background, but he also has an underrated wrestling game, in my opinion, and should he be unable to find success on the feet, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him shoot for a takedown in this bout.
Not primarily known for his submission game, Till is no slouch on the ground, as he’s proven to have a strong sense of awareness and defense. He also dishes out some brutal ground-and-pound from the top position.
Ultimately, I can truly see this fight going either way.
One one hand, I could see “Wonderboy” doing what he does best, avoiding big shots, and picking Till apart from the outside en route to scoring a decision victory. On the other, hand, however, I could see Till’s size and power being too much and him being the one to land the big shots.
In the end, I’m going to side with the Englishman. I think his self-confidence, his home advantage, and his talent will all play factors, as he scores the biggest victory of his career late in the fight.
Note: Following the writing of this, Till missed weight, weighing in 3.5 pounds over the 171-pound limit. He was fined 30% of his purse and will also have to weigh-in tomorrow morning before the fight and is unable to weigh over 188 lbs. The reasoning for Till missing weight was that he was forced to attend the hospital to tend to a family issue, so I don’t believe he was physically unable to make weight and he’s been medically cleared to fight as of now. What is concerning, however, is that he likely won’t be fully hydrated come fight time due to the second weigh-in. I’m going to stick with my original pick, favoring Till’s power, but I’m far from confident following this recent string of events.
Prediction: Darren Till def. Stephen Thompson via fourth-round TKO
Darren Till isn’t sure he’ll be able to meet Stephen Thompson’s terms for their main event at tomorrow’s (Sun., May 27, 2018) UFC Liverpool from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
After Till missed weight by 3.5 pounds for their anticipated headliner earlier today, Thompson set forth his terms for accepting the bout, which included Till forfeiting 30 percent of his purse to Wonderboy and him weighing under 188 pounds at 1 p.m. the day of the bout.
Till had a family emergency that took place as the weigh-ins were about to begin, prompting the presiding officials to give him an extra hour to check in for them. He still missed the mark, however, casting a shadow over the UFC’s initial event in his hometown.
In an exclusive interview with MMAjunkie, Till apologized for the weight miss and explained what happened in terms of his family situation. In terms of meeting Thompson’s demands, Till said he actually offered his whole fight purse:
“There’s never no excuse for missing weight,” Till told MMAjunkie. “I always say it: When you fight, and you lose a fight, there’s no excuse. You lose. Same with the battle with the scales. This time I lost, and there’s no excuse. I know that the UFC said why I missed and gave some information. When I started cutting weight I got an emergency call. It was a family matter. I just had to go to the hospital there and back. I only had five kilos (11 pounds) to go. Usually I have six, seven. I was running. I was OK. I was fine. And I tried to get in the sauna, tried to get in the steam, I tried to do a bath. It just wasn’t happening. I was knackered.
“I missed weight, and I’m truly embarrassed by it, but the fight’s still on hopefully. I’ve got to weigh in again tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes. I know they’re very adamant I’ve got to weigh a certain weight. The ball’s in their court.
“Listen, I offered 100 percent of my purse. Money is no object. Money will come sooner than later. I offered 100 percent.”
While he may have offered his full purse, he isn’t sure he’ll be able to make it to the fight below 188 pounds as Thompson’s camp desires. He clarified that he had already begun rehydrating, and with him being arguably the biggest 170-pound fighter in the UFC, it just may be unhealthy for him to do so:
“They were adamant I had to weigh in 83-85 kilo (182-187 pounds), which just – it’s bad for me health,” Till said. “We’ll see what happens in the morning when I weigh. I’ve already started drinking. I’ve already started filling back up. We’ll see. I’m sure the fight’s on. I’ll have to pass medicals, and I’ll have to train tonight or tomorrow. But I’m mentally prepared for anything. Nothing gets to me in this life. If I do have to train in the morning to make the weight and cut again, I’ll do it.
“Eighty-five kilo tomorrow morning is not enough. It’s not that it’s not enough. I just put weight on so quick. I’ve got a slow metabolism. I just started drinking before, and it went up like that. So, we’ll see. It could be a mind game. If I have to make the weight, I’ll make it.”
With the pressure on for him to weigh below the demanded limit, Till knows he’s in a compromising spot in a fight that he called the main focus of his entire life to the point he’s largely avoided his family and friends as of late. All the hate is pouring in right now, something he knew would happen, but Till said that once he makes his way to the octagon tomorrow, his usual confidence will be restored:
“When I make my entrance and walk in that cage, that confidence is back,” Till said. “I just honestly don’t give a (expletive) about anything. I haven’t spoken to my daughter in a week; I haven’t FaceTime’d because my mind’s been on this. I haven’t shown affection or love to anyone. My friends don’t know me anymore because I’m just not asked. Tomorrow my confidence is back, but for now, humble Darren is here.
“I’m truly gutted that I missed weight, but all I can say to the fans is don’t hate on me too much. Because I know I’m going to get hate now.”
We’re less than 24 hours away from the highly-anticipated showdown between Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Darren Till at UFC Fight Night 130 (UFC Liverpool), and the intensity surrounding the main event is starting to grow as the ev…
We’re less than 24 hours away from the highly-anticipated showdown between Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Darren Till at UFC Fight Night 130 (UFC Liverpool), and the intensity surrounding the main event is starting to grow as the event draws closer. “Wonderboy,” who is currently the top-ranked contender in the UFC Welterweight division, had some interesting […]
Set to fight in front of his hometown in a dream scenario, Till came up short by an astonishing 3.5 pounds over the welterweight non-title fight limit of 171 pounds for the anticipated match from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, prompting concern that the fight would not take place.
But as it usually does in the UFC, the match-up will proceed as planned; that is if Till agrees to Thompson’s conditions for the bout. According to MMA Junkie, Wonderboy will go forward with the bout if Till forfeits 30 percent of his purse to him and weighs no more than 188 pounds at 1 P.M. local time tomorrow.
However, if Till cannot make the designated limit, another negotiation of terms is likely to happen according to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. Till apparently had a family emergency this morning, which officials deemed the reason he was allowed an extra hour after the originally scheduled weigh-in time for fighters to check in. Thompson’s team can be present for his weigh-in tomorrow as well.
At the ceremonial weigh-ins, Till apologized for missing weight but swore he could stop the top-ranked Wonderboy:
“I want to apologize for missing weight,” Till said. “S**t happens… I know I can finish Stephen Thompson.”
So the issue of missing weight continues to haunt the UFC, this time creeping into an awaited main event fight. It’s a highly pivotal issue as well, as athletes who missed weight are an alarming 6-0 in UFC competition this year. Till has also missed weight once before, coming it even higher at five pounds over last year for his bout against Jessin Ayari.
As one of the biggest welterweights on the UFC roster, if the UFC Liverpool main event is scrapped because he’s unable to meet Thompson’s terms, whispers of him needing to move up a weight class will begin to swirl.
