UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has issued a response to the notion of coaching The Ultimate Fighter opposite Darren Till — and Till’s not going to like it.
While the idea of a fight between Adesanya and Till has been appealing since Till debuted in the middleweight division with a big win over Kelvin Gastelum in November, the buzz surrounding this potential matchup spiked yesterday, when Till suggested he could coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter against Adesanya. Generally speaking, TUF coaches wind up fighting each other at the conclusion of the season, so Till was effectively implying he could fight Adesanya in the near future.
The Ultimate Fighter being brought back means only one thing…
Me X Adelasagne TUF coaches.— Darren Till (@darrentill2) May 6, 2020
“The Ultimate Fighter being brought back means only one thing… Me X Adelasagne TUF coaches.” – Darren Till on Twitter.
Unfortunately for Till, Adesanya doesn’t seem to be on board with this suggestion. When Submission Radio polled fans on the idea of a potential Adesanya vs. Till TUF season, the champ responded with a hard “no.”
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) May 7, 2020
While it sounds as though Israel Adesanya is opposed to the idea of a fight with Darren Till, it’s more likely that he’s currently focused on his yet unscheduled but widely expected title defense opposite the middleweight division’s top contender, Paulo Costa.
If Adesanya is able to get by Costa, he’ll then likely to turn his attention to other contenders such as Jared Cannonier and Till. The champ has spoken frequently about his desire to clean out the middleweight division, and he’ll likely need to beat Till to do that.
Does a season of The Ultimate Fighter coached by Israel Adesanya and Darren Till interest you? Who do you think would win a fight between them?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 5/6/2020.