If disaster strikes, and Israel Adesanya or Yoel Romero is unable to make it to the cage for their UFC 248 title fight, Darren Till hopes to be ready to save the day.
Till, of course, was expected to fight Jared Cannonier on the UFC 248 card, but the fight fell through due to a combination of visa issues, contract gripes and ultimately, a Cannonier injury.
Till recounted the process that led to this fight being nixed on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday.
https://youtu.be/R2lczCZNCa8
.@darrentill2 says he wanted to fight Jared Cannonier at #UFC248 but he just needed to sort out some visa and contract issues. Cannonier wound up injuring his pectoral so it fell through. He was also open to being the backup for the MW title fight. #HelwaniShow @arielhelwani
— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) February 17, 2020
While the fight between Till and Cannonier didn’t work out, the former believes he could still end up fighting on the UFC 248 card.
He divulged that he’s currently training twice a day and working on keeping his weight down in the event that the UFC needs him to step in and replace Adesanya or Romero.
.@darrentill2 says he's training hard twice a day right now to keep his weight down and stay prepared in case the #UFC wants to use him as the backup for the Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero middleweight title fight at #UFC248. #HelwaniShow @arielhelwani
— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) February 17, 2020
Darren Till began his UFC career as a welterweight, picking up wins over the likes of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. After coming up short in a welterweight title fight with former champion Tyron Woodley and then losing his comeback fight against Jorge Masvidal, however, he elected to hike up to middleweight. Till also struggled on many occasions to make the welterweight division’s weight limit, which also factored into his decision.
The Brit made his middleweight debut at UFC 244 last December, taking on the former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum in the card’s co-main event. While this matchup was viewed as a very difficult one for Till, he wound up winning the fight by decision, instantly asserting himself as a top contender in the middleweight division.
While he will probably need to win another big fight if he wants to earn a title shot in earnest, it’s possible he’ll wind up getting the opportunity to fight for the title if Adesanya or Romero winds up being sidelined.
Do you think the UFC should use Darren Till for a backup at UFC 248?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/17/2020.