Darren Till makes the biggest walk of his life this weekend when he takes on Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight championship in Dallas, Texas.
The Liverpudlian has had a meteoric rise through the UFC ranks since making his debut in 2015, fighting six times, winning five and drawing one.
His previous two victories over high-profile stars Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone and Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson have now earned him a shot at long-time champion Tyron Woodley.
Till has gained a lot of notoriety for his unstoppable performances under the UFC banner. However, there have been many detractors due to issues surrounding his weight.
The Team Kaobon fighter headlined UFC Liverpool back in May, defeating ‘Wonderboy’ via unanimous decision, although controversy ensued in the build up to the fight after Till had botched his weight-cut, he came in 3.5lbs over the 171lb limit.
It was the second time Till had missed weight in the UFC so you can understand why many may have scoffed at the 25-year-old getting a title shot immediately after struggling to make the welterweight limit.
There is no denying though that Till has looked impressive throughout his run, and his undefeated record of 17-0-1 means he is as much deserving of a title shot as the next man.
He spoke to reporters ahead of the open workouts and looked very gaunt two days out from the weigh ins, which has got everyone worried about whether he will be fit to fight or not.
The Scouser looks to have started his weight-cut earlier than everyone else, and confirmed that he woke up on Wednesday morning at 182lbs.
All the talk in the build up to this fight has been about Till’s weight, and when pressed on the issue he claimed that after this weekend those concerns will be put to bed.
“I’ve put my life into this, speed bumps happen along the way. You know, not making weight, it’s like your the only fighter who’s missed weight in the division, or the whole of the UFC.”
“It’s not true, but it’s a mistake on my part. On Friday all the talk will be done, no motherf***er can ask me about weight again, he’s getting slapped (laughs).”
Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley afterwards addressed Till’s weight, expressing his view that he is tired of people asking him questions about his opponent rather than himself.
“I don’t really care, I can’t make him miss weight, I can’t make him make weight. I haven’t seen his open workout but I guarantee you he wasn’t as vibrant as I was, I guarantee you he’s not in the ’70’s yet.”
“I’m tired of answering questions about his weight, he’s the one who missed weight, he should answer questions about his own. People should want to know what I’m doing”
“At the end of the day, I’m the one that’s professional, when you have the scale tip beyond 170, you haven’t.”
There would not be such debate around Darren Till making weight if it wasn’t a legitimate concern, let’s just hope we get to see the main event we all want on Saturday night in Dallas.
