Darren Till accepts Marvin Vettori's challenge for the 'Undisputed European crown'
UFC middleweight Darren Till has accepted Marvin Vettori's challenge for the 'undisputed European' title. After defeating Swedish-Norwegian Jack Hermansson in an evenhanded fight, Vettori knows he needs other top-ranked opponents before having his rematch with Israel Adesanya.
"Me and Till need to fight. Undisputed European crown is on the line."
"For sure, Marvin, let's do it. That was a great victory last weekend."
Till is one of several UFC fighters known for being in good spirits on social media. Often posting funny images and jokes, Till did not waste time in mocking Vettori after accepting his "European crown" provocation.
Darren Till was the original opponent for Hermansson in last week's main event, but the English fighter was cut from the bout after an undisclosed injury. Prolonging his injury misfortune, Till revealed this week that he broke his foot during wrestling practice.
"Wrestling is f*cking tough, but it is needed & essential for MMA. You want to stand up and smash your opponents? You need amazing wrestling defense. You want to take them down, smash them, submit them, or whatever? You need amazing Wrestling. Don't forget your wrestling kids!!! P.S I've broken my foot this week, but more wrestling tomorrow again," stated Darren Till on his social media.
Where are Darren Till and Marvin Vettori positioned in the UFC middleweight rankings?
Marvin Vettori comes off the back of an incredible fight against Jack Hermansson in UFC Vegas 16. The bout has received praise from analysts, fans, and other fighters for the two UFC middleweight athletes' technical abilities and resilience.
With a slight advantage during the whole bout, 'The Italian Dream' won via unanimous decision. The UFC Vegas 16 main event also broke the record for most significant strikes landed in a middleweight fight.
Vettori seems unsure about who he wants to fight next. Before the fight with Hermansson, the former Venator welterweight champion was calling for a rematch with middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya. Right after having his armed raised in UFC Vegas 16, he called out Paulo Costa; and now, Vettori has challenged Darren Till.
Currently fourth in the UFC middleweight rank, Till last competed in July when he lost for the third time in his career. His defeat came via unanimous decision in a balanced five-round battle with former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
Although Till has lost three out of his last four matches, he displayed high-grade skills in those losses, making the UFC decide to promote him to fourth place in the middleweight rankings, ahead of Vettori, now fifth after the win against Hermansson.
"Now the rankings just came out. Darren Till being No. 4, it's a joke. Really, it's a joke," Vettori said. "But I think that would be a great scrap if we fight. After I beat somebody like Darren Till, I'll be the only guy with two wins in the top five, and I don't know what will happen with Whittaker, but after that, I feel I will deserve a title shot. To be honest, I'm willing to fight anybody."