Stephen Thompson is favorite against Darren Til in UFC Liverpool main fight

S. Thompson (photo) is favorite in the main fight of UFC Liverpool (Photo: Reproduction Facebook UFC)

UFC Liverpool takes place this Sunday morning (27) and the hearts and minds of MMA lovers are already focused on the Land of the Queen. And the bookmakers are buzzing for the show. In the main fight of the night, Stephen Thompson, number one in the welterweight rankings, is the favorite to face home owner Darren Til.

Despite having only faced a top 10 finish to date, Til boasts a respectable record, with 16 wins and one draw. He was elevated to eighth position in the rankings after winning Donald Cerrone, in October 2017. For three and a half years, the Brit lived in Brazil, where he participated in events such as Sparta MMA and Aspera Fighting Championship.

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One of the most respected names in the welterweight division, the American Stephen Thompson needs no introduction. His most significant results were the knockouts over John hendricks e Robert whittaker, but he also surpassed names like Rory McDonald and Patrick Côté. However, he distanced himself from his dream of the belt when he stopped the world champion twice Tyron woodley, first with a draw, and then by split decision.

The expectation is for a fight with a lot of striking, and with exaggerated sincerity, Thompson reveals the path of the stones for his rival.

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“I know that practically everyone I face eventually tries to take me down, and in some of Till's previous fights he has tried to take down his opponents. I also know that, like me, he prefers to fight on his feet. He wants to prove he's better at striking than me, which puts a smile on my face. I hope that’s his plan.”, he teased.

The quotas of Oddshark.com point to a slight favoritism for the North American, with a return of 59%. If the home fighter wins, each real bet will return R$2,37.

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Neil Magny x Craig White

In the co-main event of the night, former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship fighter Craig White will make his UFC debut as a replacement for Gunnar Nelson, who was injured, and will face off against the American Neil Magny.

White doesn't have the most regular career, as evidenced by his record of 14 wins and seven losses, but he comes from a highly positive sequence of four victories, three of which were in the first round. Winning at home will be essential to make a good impression on the new boss.

However, overcoming Magny will be a very difficult task. Despite alternating good and bad results in the last two years, such as the victories over John hendricks e Carlos Condit and the defeats to Lorenz Larkin and Rafael dos Anjos, the North American is an experienced fighter, has been in the UFC since 2013, won 14 of his 18 fights and is one of the top 10 in the welterweight division.

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All of this makes him a favorite, with a yield of 18% for victory, while a possible White triumph will pay 4,75 times the amount bet.

Arnold Allen x Mads Burnell

Aiming for the top 15 in the featherweight division, Britain's Arnold “Almighty” Allen will try to maintain his unbeaten record in the UFC by facing Denmark's Mads Burnell, another great promise of the franchise.

Still quite young (24 years old), Allen stands out for his unusual tactical intelligence for his age, as well as the versatility of someone who is both a boxing and jiu-jitsu expert. The Englishman was successful in his three fights for the UFC. In the first, in 2015, he got into trouble after replacing the injured Mike Wilkinson at the last minute at UFC Berlin to face Alan Omer, but he did well and submitted the Iraqi in the third round. His two subsequent engagements were against Yaotzin Meza and the trendy mawan amirkhani, who had won four consecutive victories, and won both by decision of the judges. The “Almight” boasts a record of 12 wins and one defeat.

Mads Burnell is the same age as his rival, but has a slightly inferior record, with nine wins and two defeats. One of his setbacks came in his debut in the division, against Brazilian Michel Prazeres, who submitted him in the third round. The recovery came last January, with the triumph over Mike Santiago by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 124.

The quotas of Oddsshark.com indicate broad favoritism for the local fighter, with a return of R$1,36/R$1,00. If Burnell wins, however, the 220% profit will be guaranteed.