With Colby Covington unable to commit to a September date against Tyron Woodley, Darren Till could be primed for a title fight at UFC 228.
A bit of bizarre news on Thursday: the UFC is working on putting together a title fight between welterweight champ Tyron Woodley and Darren Till. That fight would potentially headline UFC 228 in September. And what of interim champion Colby Covington? It appears he could wind up stripped of the title. ESPN first reported the news, which was seemingly confirmed by Till himself, urging Woodley to take the bout.
Accept the fight mate @TWooodley
— Darren Till (@darrentill2) July 19, 2018
Till also confirmed that the title shot was offered to him by the UFC.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani noted that the UFC is considering stripping Covington if the fight between Tyron Woodley and Darren Till is booked. Covington won the interim strap by defeating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225. The American has morphed into a pro-wrestling style trash talker over the past year or two, which earned him enough heat to get booked into some big fights. The fight with Woodley seemed like a hot ticket. However Covington is apparently unable to commit to a September engagement for undisclosed reasons.
Darren Till (17-0-1) has won four straight in the UFC, meanwhile. He most recently squeaked by Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson in Till’s hometown of Liverpool. At just 25, he’s been earmarked as one of the next big stars in the promotion, topping the roster of UK fighters now that Michael Bisping has retired.
Woodley (18–3–1), meanwhile, has not fought since defending his 170lb title against Demian Maia last July. The champ has struggled with injury and was forced to have reconstructive surgery on his shoulder in the past year.
UFC 228 takes place place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on September 8.
