Till: When I eventually move up to middleweight, I want fight against Adesanya
Darren Till thinks he matches up well with Israel Adesanya.
Darren Till has had a hard time cutting weight in the past, but the Liverpudlian is content to stick to welterweight for the time being.
Speaking to Michael Bisping on a recent episode of Believe You Me, Till said his long-term goal is to move up to 185-pounds but, before he does that, ‘The Gorilla’ wants ‘a few more fights’ at welterweight.
“I’m definitely gonna fight at 185 [pounds] but just cause I made such a big deal out of the cut myself, because obviously I missed weight in Liverpool and the cut turned out to be surprisingly easy [for the Woodley fight],” Till said said, per BJPenn.com’s Drake Riggs. “It was just easy so I can still stay at welterweight for a few more fights.
“That’s what I’ve got in my head and then obviously move up to 185. But for now, I can still make the welterweight cut so I think I’m going to stay at welterweight.”
Till, who hasn’t fought since his submission loss to reigning welterweight champ Tyron Woodley at UFC 228, would love to fight Israel Adesanya when he eventually makes the move up to middleweight.
Adesanya is one of the brightest prospects in the middleweight division and has been labelled by some the next Anderson Silva.
“’Stylebender’ [Israel Adesanya],” Till stated. “I’m always asking Sean [Shelby] for the biggest and the hardest challenges. Obviously, you seen that in my last fight against the champion.
“I just want to fight the best and right now at middleweight, Stylebender is one of the best… Not all around but I think striker against striker, me coming from a striking background and him himself, I just think it would be a good matchup. That’s definitely a fight I want in the future.”
For now, though, Till is looking to get back into the Octagon as soon possible, and the 26-year-old seems interested in a scrap with top-ten welterweight Jorge Masvidal.
— Darren Till (@darrentill2) January 14, 2019
As for Adesanya, ‘The Last Stylebender’ will take on his hero, Anderson Silva, in the UFC 234 co-main event on Feb. 10 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.