Yesterday, it was announced that Tyron Woodley will be defending his welterweight championship against Darren Till at UFC 228. This has led to mixed reactions from fans, some excited about the surging Till getting his first title shot, and very many criticizing the UFC stripping Colby Covington only one month after winning the interim welterweight championship. Shortly after the announcement of the UFC 228 main event, Till shed insight on why he is receiving the title shot and not Colby Covington:
“I don’t think Colby was ready,” Till said in an interview with MMAnytt.” I think he was talking about an injury, and he wanted time off. And that’s fine. I’m only 25, but this sport does get to you. You do need to take time off, otherwise your body’s gonna be broken. But the only thing is, I think, with that thing is that Colby talked so much shit. Then, when he was called to fight, it’s sort of like he said, oh, no, I’m gonna wait. I don’t think it works like that when you talk so much shit like that about a fight.
“So you can’t have your cake and eat it, so the UFC just decided, well, you’re not gonna fight? We’re gonna give the fight to someone else. So there’s me, willing and waiting.”
Darren Till is not lost on the aforementioned criticism of many fans on the UFC’s decision, who cite Covington being more deserving as well as Till missing weight in his last bout against Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson as the sources of their incredulity. Till responds to these critics by attempting to explain how the real world works:
“A lot of people say someone else might deserve it,” Till began. “Someone else might deserve it, but they fuckin’ gave it to me. So what you want me to do? You want me to just say no? You want me to just go, Dana, you know what? It’s fine. I don’t want that title shot, mate. Give it to someone else. They deserve it? If Dana’s offering me the shot, I’m not gonna say no, mate.”
As for what comes after UFC 228, Till has two names on his hitlist before moving up to middleweight:
“As soon as I strip Tyron of his title, Colby and Usman, they’re the two first people who are getting a shot at it.
“They’re the two guys before I move up that will get their shot.”
“I can’t let the fight go with Usman. I gotta get that fight.” I said so in Vegas, that we gotta get that fight, and he agrees. So as soon as I strip Tyron of his title, I’m assuming it will be Colby, but Usman’s gotta get his shot at me.
“Before I move up to middleweight, he’s got to get his shot at me, and that fight needs to be made. That’s a guy I can’t let go and me go up to middleweight because I’ll have that in the back of my mind. People will say, ‘Well, you didn’t fight Usman.’ I need to fight Usman.”
Do you believe Till will be able to successfully defeat Tyron Woodley, Colby Covington, and Kamaru Usman before moving up to middleweight?
