Darren Till will fight Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title at UFC 228
- Published
Liverpool's Darren Till could become only the second ever British UFC champion if he can beat 'The Chosen One' in September.
Liverpool’s Darren Till has secured a UFC title shot against welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in September this year, after interim champion Colby Covington was declared unfit to compete.
Till has climbed up the UFC welterweight rankings after wins over Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson and Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone and is unbeaten in his professional MMA career, with 17 wins and one draw to his name.
The 25-year-old beat Stephen Thompson by unanimous decision in front of a passionate home crowd at UFC Liverpool back in May, despite weighing in over the welterweight limit.
"I want everyone and anyone next, I'm not scared of anyone," an ecstatic Till said after that victory.
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Now it seems 'The Gorilla' has impressed the UFC matchmakers enough to land his big title shot against Woodley in Dallas, Texas on 8 September, leapfrogging Covington to the chance after the controversial American reportedly underwent surgery this week to correct a nasal issue.
Covington became the interim 170lb champion by defeating Rafael dos Anjos at last month's UFC 225, however UFC president Dana White revealed that the interim belt will be stripped when a new champion is crowded at UFC 228.
Meanwhile, Woodley has not fought since his win over Demian Maia in July 2017, and hasn't proved to be a popular champion of the welterweight division since taking the belt two years ago at UFC 201.
Tyron Woodley
Despite his explosive knockout power, the 36-year-old was booed by fans in his last two fights, against Maia and in his , externalrematch against Stephen Thompson at UFC 209, for his strong focus on wrestling and grappling instead of a more flamboyant striking style.
If Till can beat the 'The Chosen One', he will become only the second ever British fighter to become a UFC champion, after Michael Bisping claimed the middleweight title in 2016.
The UFC women's flyweight title will also be up for grabs in Dallas, when Nicco Montano and Valentina Shevchenko clash in the co-main event on 8 September.
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