Darren Till wants a title shot if he beats Robert Whittaker this Saturday

R. Whittaker (left) and D. Till (right) are in the main fight of the UFC Fight Island 3. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS montage

At the top of the middleweight division (up to 83.kg.), Darren till is one step away from becoming a serious challenger for the division title in the future. Newly arrived in the category, this Saturday (25), in Abu Dhabi, the Englishman will have the challenge of facing the former champion of the category, Robert whittaker, in the main fight of the UFC Fight Island 3. Aware of the difficulty of the commitment, Till outlines big plans for the future, if he defeats the Australian.

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“For sure (I’m going to fight for the belt). It's a big mountain to climb now on Saturday against Whittaker. He is a former champion, but I believe he can win. That would make me the number 1 middleweight contender for the title. It could be against Adesanya or Costa (Paulo borrachinha), the two will fight in September (not yet confirmed)”, said the Englishman in an interview with 'Combate'.

Knowing that a victory over the former category leader puts him in a prominent place within the division, Darren stated that he will be ready for any proposal that will bring him even closer to a fight for the title. The Englishman even offered to be a reserve for the clash between Borrachinha and the champion.

“I’ll be ready for September. If one of them gets hurt, I'll go in. After this fight, I’ll be ready,” he said.

To achieve his dream, Till will have to go through one of the most relevant names in the division in recent years. Even though he lost the belt in his last fight, the fight against Whittaker lacks a lot of focus and respect.

“I think he’s very powerful, very aggressive. He enters quickly and leaves quickly, doing karateka style. His wrestling is better than mine, but on the ground, I don't know. I didn't see much. I saw that he said he was better than me everywhere, but of course he would say that, he has to say it. I'll say the same thing, but I'm realistic. His wrestling is better, I don't know about the ground, maybe 50/50, but as a striker (stand-up), I think I'm better”, he concluded.

Darren made the permanent move to middleweight in November last year, when he faced and beat the former challenger for the division's interim belt, Kelvin Gastelum. The change of division came after a sequence of two defeats suffered in the welterweight division (up to 77kg), one of them in the fight for the title in the lower category.