With heavy hands and a heavier heart, Darren 'The Gorilla' Till Seeks to become the first welterweight champion from the UK, and the first ever Scouser to hold a belt!
His upcoming bout against Tyron 'The Chosen One' Woodley should be electric as both men are coming off tremendous wins and have had enough time to heal.
Although it feels like forever since we've seen Tyron in the cage, he's actually been one of the more active champions as he's defended the belt 3 times since winning it against Robbie Lawler in 2016.
Woodley actually has one defense and one win over 'Wonderboy' Thompson, a man who arguably beat Till in his hometown, and gave him one of the more cryptic and puzzling tests of his fight career.
Styles do indeed make fights nonetheless, and regardless of how Till and Woodley handled a pure striker in Wonderboy, they will handle each other much differently.
Till's Advantages:
I'd like to focus on Darren Till's reach and explosive power as those will be his primary assets.
His size is tremendous in the cage, if the weight cut goes well Till will have over 6 inches of height on Woodley, and with the same reach of 74' this will pose immense problems for Woodley trying to engage or score the knockout in the pocket (where most of his power is effective).
Till definitely has the length and power to dismantle Woodley, but Woodley also has the power and wrestling to do the same to the Gorilla. We've seen both men in danger when they've entered the other's wheelhouse.
Tyron was finished by a bigger brawler in Nate Marquardt when he tried to 'stand and bang' with him, and Darren Till has been in a lot of trouble early in his career such as when he nearly got finished and arguably lost to Nicholas Dalby.. a fight in which he could barely stand at the end and was almost gifted a draw due to the fight being again, in Till's hometown.
This will be an even matchup until it's not. If Woodley can implement a complete wrestling game, the night will be easy.
If Till aligns his reach and doesn't allow Woodley to shoot or get inside, it will be the longest night of 'The Chosen One's' life.
The matchup is incredibly intriguing, and I actually lean Till more due to his motivation and Woodley's age of 36. If Woodley is prepping correctly and can implement his truly elite wrestling, I just may change my tune.
What do you think of this matchup? Can 'The Gorilla' pull it off?