Paulo Costa willing to step in short notice against Jack Hermansson after Darren Till pulls out of UFC London
UFC middleweight Paulo Costa is eager to replace Darren Till after the Englishman pulled out of his fight against Jack Hermansson due to injury.
Till will not be part of his home event at UFC London later this month and could potentially be replaced by Chris Curtis. However, another contender has put his name in the hat in the form of Costa, who will face Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in August.
In a new post via Twitter, Costa shared a photo of the news of Till's withdrawal followed by an image of his own face morphed into UFC President Dana White, saying:
"Call me to step in mother****."
Call me to step in motherfucker https://t.co/rE5TZiyXZO
Costa's last victory in the UFC came back in 2019 when he beat Yoel Romero via unanimous decision at UFC 241. The Brazilian has suffered consecutive losses against Marvin Vettori and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Meanwhile, Darren Till's withdrawal means that this will be the second time that the fight against Hermansson will be scrapped due to injury. Till is 1-4 in his last 5 fights and has not entered the octagon since September 2021. UFC Fight Night 208 will now be headlined by Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall at the O2 arena in London.
Darren Till hails Khamzat Chimaev as "the only legitimate superstar" in the UFC
Till, who has formed a close friendship with No.3-ranked welterweight Khamzat Chimaev, believes that his rise in the division makes him dangerous for any fighter. Back in April, Till spoke about the rise of 'Borz', saying:
“It’s like, people are saying, 'Oh well,' you know? ... He was messing about before... The guy with number 11, he’s had four fights in the UFC and he just come in and beat the number two guy... How can you hate on the guy like, for that s**t? The guy’s a f*****g superstar. The guy’s the only legitimate superstar right now in the UFC.”
Despite the duo training together, Chimaev has been spotted with Hermannson to the surprise of many fans. The Swedes also have limited MMA facilities, including the famous Frontline Academy Hasle in Oslo, Norway.
Unfortunately, the fight between Till and Hermannson will have to wait for the time being. Will we see the Liverpudlian enter the octagon this year? Add your comments below.