Darren Till Moves to Middleweight
Former UFC welterweight Darren Till will finally make his much-anticipated debut in the middleweight division. Till will jump 15lbs up in the process to take on Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244.
Till has been tweeting cryptically lately, leading us to believe he had fight news on the way. Brett Okamoto (via ESPN) confirmed the news with his sources that the move to middleweight was complete.
Breaking: Darren Till is moving up. Till vs. Kelvin Gastelum at middleweight is a done deal for UFC 244 on Nov. 2 in NYC, per sources. What a fight. pic.twitter.com/0otT8giprt
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 26, 2019
Till’s Weight Issues
Darren has been pondering the idea of moving up in weight for over a year now. So far in his UFC career, Till has had eight fights. Two of those bouts were forced to be at a catchweight due to him not being able to successfully make weight. In the leadup to his last three fights, fan wondered if Till moved up in weight, would he no longer look like a shell of himself on the scales.
During the second round of his last fight against Jorge Masvidal, Till was viciously knocked out in front of a London, England crowd. The majority of internet speculation surrounding the fight was that that severe weight cut for Till played a factor in the result.
Till vs Gastelum
Now that Till moves up to middleweight, his weight cuts shouldn’t be as harsh. His opponent, Kelvin Gastelum, is also another welterweight to moved up a class.
The fight is set to take place at UFC 244 on November 2nd at Madison Square Garden. The card has yet to receive an announcement for the main event.
Middleweight Not Permanent
While the move to Middleweight for Till is the right thing to do, he also expressed that the decision isn’t firm. Till spoke on the Eurobash Podcast and on the show they asked him about the move in weight.
“I haven’t thought about it much,” Darren told the podcast. (In reference to Till moving up in weight.) “Let’s do middle(weight), let’s do welter(weight), let’s do every fu**ing weight because at the end of the day I’m really not scared of any man.
Till then went on to explain why he would be open to accepting bouts at both welterweight and middleweight. Even despite his issues to make the 170lbs mark consistently.
“It’s just good to fight all these top-level guys whether they’re in the welterweight division, middleweight or wherever. There’s not one slouch inside that UFC Octagon; they’re all top-level fighters.”, said Till.
At the end of the day, Till just wants to prove that he belongs with top competition. The change in weight isn’t about ‘starting over.’ It’s more about opening the pool of opponents to be able to display his skill.
“For me, it’s not about a fresh start, it’s about fighting these unbelievable guys and being one of those unbelievable guys, getting all the challenges every fight until the day I retire when I’m 35.”, Till stated.
With the move up in weight, do fans favor Till or Gastelum in the matchup? Should Darren stay at middleweight and leave welterweight in the past? Let us know in the comment section below.
