A key welterweight fight between former two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson (14-2-1 MMA) and undefeated contender Darren Till (16-0-1 MMA) headlined today’s UFC Fight Night 130 event in Liverpool, England.
Darren Till missed weight for the contest (174.5 pounds) and was forced to forfeit 30% of his fight purse to “Wonderboy”.
Round one begins and Thompson quickly takes the center of the octagon. Till misses with a low kick. He presses forward. Stephen misses with a side kick. He throws another that lands. Till comes forward but Thompson circles out and then lands a low kick. “Wonderboy” with a nice kick to the body. He goes low with an inside kick. Till presses forward and throws a jab that misses the mark. Thompson with another low kick. Till returns fire with one of his own. Darren is pressing the action now. He lands a kick to the body but Thompson replies with a nice left hand. Thompson leaps in with a combination. He throws a side kick but there wasn’t much power on it. Till attempts a spinning back fist but Thompson blocks it. Stephen is circling along the fence. He lands a hard low kick. One minute remains in round one. Thompson takes the center of the octagon. He eats a low kick from Till but then rushes in with a combination. Till avoids and then resets. “Wonderboy” with a low kick. Round one comes to an end.
Round two begins and Thompson starts things off with a kick. He just misses with a head kick. That got Till’s attention. Darren attempts to force Wonderboy into a corner but Stephen quickly escapes. Thompson with a nice side kick to the body. Till replies with a low kick. Thompson with a right hand. The fighters clinch briefly then break. Till takes the center of the octagon. Thompson with a right hand that fails to find a home. Till misses with a right hand and so does Thompson. Darren clinches up and lands a knee. Thompson breaks free. Till lands a pair of low kicks. Thompson fires off a right hand over the top. “Wonderboy” again just misses with a high kick attempt. Two minutes remain in round two. Thompson lands a low kick. Till presses forward but eats a side kick for his efforts. Darren misses with a low kick. Thompson circles out and takes the center of the cage. “Wonderboy” just misses with a high kick. He lands a follow up left jab. Till lands a left hand. Thompson backs off and then lands a side kick. Stephen just misses with a high kick. Till smiles at him. Round two comes to an end.
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Round three begins and Thompson lands a side kick to start. Till applying a lot of pressure now. He avoids a head kick and then leaps in with a punch that misses. Both men fire off low kicks. Thompson partially lands a high kick. He leaps in with a left hand but Till blocks it and then presses forward. Darren swings and misses with a wild right hand attempt. Darren lands a low kick. Thompson fires back with a nice kick to the body. Stephen looks so relaxed in there. He lands a left hand. Till lands a crisp jab. Wonderboy circles out and then lands a beautiful counter right hand. Stephen leaps in with a combination but nothing appears to land flush. Till with pressure again. Thompson lands a hard right hand as he was coming in. Till with a shot to the body. Thompson with another right hand. He is winning these exchanges. Darren Till goes to the body with a kick. Thompson gets caught with a jab and then eats a low kick. He circles out and then takes the center of the octagon. Thompson leaps in with a combination. Till says he was poked in the eye and so we have a break in the action. Till recovers and we restart. Till with a big left. Thompson answers with a kick to the body. Till with another left. Thompson replies with a combination. The horn sounds to end round three.
Ready to erupt in Echo Arena. #UFCLiverpool pic.twitter.com/Y57K7VSLgf
— UFC (@ufc) May 27, 2018
Round four begins and Darren Till presses forward and throws a head kick. He lands a hard low kick. Thompson leaps in with a combination but nothing lands flush. Stephen circles along the cage. He is looking to find his way inside. Thompson with a nice straight right up the middle. He connects with a jab. Darren Till answers with a left hand over the top. Thompson immediately replies with a right hand up the middle. Three minutes remain in round four. Till with a hard low kick. Wonderboy replies with a nice jab. Thompson with a huge left hook that lands. Till appears to be fine. Thompson gets pushed up against he cage by Till. That doesn’t last long as “Wonderboy” breaks free. Thompson with another straight right up the middle. He circles along the outside. One minute remains in round four. Till lands a jab and then misses with a wild right. Thompson counters with a jab. He goes low with a leg kick. Thompson lands a low kick of his own. Darren till gets in the final punch before the horn sounds to end round four.
Round five begins and Till comes forward with some big punches. Thompson is able to avoid the early shots and settles in. Darren with a left jab that misses. Thompson responds with a head kick that also fails to find the mark. Thompson with a double jab now. Till lands a right hand and pushes Thompson against the cage. Stephen scrambles free and resets. Till presses forward but misses badly with a spinning kick. Till is trying to trap Thompson against the cage but Stephen isn’t having it. Thompson with a jab to the body. He lands a follow up kick. Till rushes in with punches. He lands a left that sends Thompson to the floor. Stephen gets right back up to his feet and fires off a right hand. Another right from Thompson followed by a left hand. He appears to be recovered. Till pushes forward and Thompson shoots in and scores a takedown. Who saw that coming. Till gets back up and lands a low kick. Under 4-0 seconds remain now. Till with a lot of movement but no punches. Wonderboy with a jab to the body. Round five comes to an end.
HEATING UP IN THE FIFTH! #UFCLiverpool pic.twitter.com/ysPuuarEUz
— UFC (@ufc) May 27, 2018