UFC star Darren Till has been told he could earn a middleweight title opportunity if he beats Paolo Costa in his octagon return.
The British fighter has been struggling to get back to form after being beaten by Tyron Woodley back in 2018 and is 1-4 in his last five fights. But just one victory over Costa, who has dropped to No.6 since his own world title opportunity in 2020, could be enough to get Till in with Israel Adesanya for the gold.
Adesanya has wiped out his division and is set to face Alex Pereira in a trilogy fight of sorts at UFC 281 in New York City on November 12. Should he get past the Brazilian, he will have defeated the entire top five, including two wins over Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori who are ranked at No.1 and No.3 respectively.
Despite his poor run of luck that has included multiple fight cancellations and injuries along with his losing streak, Till has managed to retain a top 10 ranking spot in the division. And of the eight contenders ahead of him, just three have yet to be beaten by Adesanya; Sean Strickland who recently lost, Jack Hermansson and Pereira.
Till is currently nursing an injury, while Costa is expected to face Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 next week. But should the Brazilian win, and face the Brit next, it could end up being a serious contender fight, according to Adesanya in a recent YouTube video shot with pal Dan Hooker.
When his teammate Hooker suggested a "dream match-up" between Till and Costa, Adesanya responded "I do like that," and agreed with his pal's assessment that Till would win. It was then suggested that the Brit could "finally get a title shot," to which Adesanya concurred by saying "I might allow it," if it would give him an excuse to fight at the O2 Arena in London.
However, Till will need to get over his injury as well as a recent bout of mental health issues, which he resists calling depression. He has told of how he feels at as low an ebb as Tyson Fury during his 2017 struggles but is desperate to return after missing UFC London earlier this summer.
Do you think Darren Till can come back and become a world champion at middleweight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"It’s just so frustrating at this point in my career," Till explained during an appearance on Blockasset’s BLOCKPARTY podcast . " I feel like I’m in a Tyson Fury moment. Remember when he was going through that depressed stage? And I feel like that’s where I’m at now. Obviously, I’m not drinking and taking drugs – that’s not my way. But I still feel like that.
"Honestly, I’m not about that new age of, ‘Oh, I’m depressed,’ mental health and all that bulls***. I come from a different era. But it just makes you feel so f***ing low, s*** like this. I’m not a crying, man, or anything, but it f***ing frustrates me so much. I’m so p***ed off with it. It doesn’t bother me, but it does. Anyone who says the trolls don’t bother you is a liar.
"Don’t get me wrong – I f***ing give it back to the c***s. But some little comments get to you, like, ‘Oh, retire now.’ What do you mean, retire? What the f*** are you harping on about? I haven’t even dented my prime yet. I know where I’m at, but you just have to take that s*** on the chin."
