UFC News: Kelvin Gastelum vs Darren Till middleweight bout confirmed for UFC 244

What's the story?

Darren Till's long-awaited jump to middleweight has now been confirmed, as the British fighter has been booked to step into the cage with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in November.

In case you didn't know...

Darren Till first made his name in the UFC in the welterweight division, where he won his first six bouts inside the octagon. However, despite his blistering start in the UFC, increasingly tough opponents and even tougher weight-cuts started to take their toll, leading to the Liverpudlian suffering losses in his last two outings, to Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal.

Meanwhile, up in the middleweight division, Gastelum had been carving his own path of destruction, claiming impressive victories over Michael Bisping and Ronaldo Souza. However, he ultimately came up short in his last outing against Israel Adesanya, with the interim middleweight belt up for grabs.

The heart of the matter

Who's ready for a MW debut!?🦍 @DarrenTill2 moves up to face 🇲🇽 @KelvinGastelum at #UFC244! pic.twitter.com/WXM0ntUTqB

— UFC (@ufc) August 27, 2019

It will be a relief for many fans to see Till finally make the step up from the welterweight division. Till was one of the largest fighters in the whole division and famously went through a torturous process to cut down to 170lbs for his previous match-ups.

Despite their recent losses, both fighters are still incredibly highly thought of within the UFC, and will be looking to put themselves forward for middleweight title contention with a win at UFC 244.

What's next?

It remains to be seen how Till will look in a higher weight class as he tests himself against one of the finest 185-pounders on the planet but you can be sure that the whole division will be keeping a keen eye on proceedings as a new contender enters their realm.

The clock is now ticking down to what could be a sensationally explosive fight between Till and Gastelum at Madison Square Garden in November.