The UFC is close to finalizing a middleweight bout between Darren Till and Marvin Vettori.
That’s according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto who reported Tuesday that the pair are close to headlining the promotion’s upcoming April 10 card.
Contracts have not been signed, but verbal agreements are in place. There is no official location or venue for the event as of now.
Verbal agreements are in place for Darren Till and Marvin Vettori to headline a UFC Fight Night card on April 10, multiple sources tell @bokamotoESPN. pic.twitter.com/ecyNbpE2wZ
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 26, 2021
Winner Of Till vs. Vettori To Get Next Crack?
It’s a fight both fighters have hinted at on social media ever since Vettori’s unanimous decision win over Jack Hermansson in December after what was a five-round war.
That victory made it four wins in a row for the Italian who also moved up to number five in the middleweight rankings as a result. His last defeat came in a split decision verdict to current champion Israel Adesanya back in 2018.
While the winner of the planned Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa fight — which takes a place week later on April 17 — will more than likely face Adesanya next, it’s entirely possible a win for Vettori over Till would put him next in line especially given the backstory with him and the current champion.
However, Till will be looking to prevent that from happening.
The Liverpool native is coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Whittaker back in July. However, he is still ranked number four in the middleweight rankings and will be looking to return to the win column in emphatic fashion.
Till made his middleweight debut in November 2019 when he outpointed former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum over three rounds.
