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Many are wondering what the next step for Darren Till - who moved up to Middleweight a few months ago at UFC 244. Co-headlining Madison Square Garden, the Britisher faced a dangerous opponent in Kelvin Gastelum.
Many believed that it was a bad match-up for him. Despite Gastelum coming off a loss, his stock was high because of his all-time classic against Israel Adesanya for the Interim title back in April 2019.
However, Till proved people wrong and fought smartly, managing to secure a decision victory over the Mexican-American. After that, he received a lot of praise from former Champion, Robert Whittaker. The two men called each other out and seemed to agree on a headliner spot for UFC London.
However, it was later announced that Robert Whittaker will instead face rising contender Jared Cannonier at UFC 248.
That left many wondering who Darren Till could face next. Given that Yoel Romero is expected to face Israel Adesanya at UFC 248 in the main event (it's not confirmed, but Adesanya told Ariel Helwani that it's a "done deal"), there doesn't seem to be any top 5 contenders for him to face.
When asked about it by The Mac Life, Dana White said that Till's return is expected in March and he'll either be fighting in London or Las Vegas for UFC 248 (H/T MMA Junkie):
“We’ve been talking to him and bouncing around with different opponents,” White said. “We’ll have something for him very soon. … It’ll either be London or Vegas.”
Jack Hermansson, who is coming off a knockout loss against Jared Cannonier, seemed like a logical opponent for Till. However, that doesn't appear to be the case, according to Dana White:
“Probably not (against Hermansson),” White said. “We’ll see how this thing plays out. Yeah, (it’ll be) one of the top guys.”
This is certainly going to be interesting. Many believe Till deserves a top 5 contender. If he's fighting a lower-ranked opponent, then only Derek Brunson makes sense. However, many would argue that Till deserves a better fight after defeating a more dangerous contender in Kelvin Gastelum.
We'll have to wait and see how it plays out. Many believe that Till has a much higher chance of success in the Middleweight division as he doesn't have to compromise on an extra 15-pound weight cut.
