UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is set to make the first title defense of his career this weekend (Sat. March 7, 2020).
“Stylebender” headlines the UFC 248 pay-per-view (PPV) against Yoel Romero from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s an extremely interesting matchup given Adesanya’s striking pedigree and Romero’s Olympic wrestling background. With that being said, fellow top-ranked 185-pound contender Darren Till has offered his thoughts on how the night will play out.
Speaking to Fighters Only’s Jim Edwards, Till said he’s picking Adesanya to retain his title. However, he doesn’t see the Nigerian-born champion getting the stoppage victory over the Cuban powerhouse.
“Adesanya is on roll and I think he may just take it. I don’t think he will stop him. I think it will be a hard fought 5 rounds. Yoel is very capable of an upset. I don’t want to piss off Yoel. He’d f***ing kill me. He’s a monster.”
Spoke to @darrentill2 last night about #UFC248
“Adesanya is on roll and I think he may just take it. I don’t think he will stop him. I think it will be a hard fought 5 rounds. Yoel is very capable of an upset. I don’t want to piss off Yoel. He’d f***ing kill me. He’s a monster. pic.twitter.com/opJvlMnXGD
— Jim Edwards (@MMA_Jim) March 5, 2020
Till made his middleweight debut against former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum this past November. The Englishman took the split decision win in the UFC 244 PPV co-main event. Now, Till is likely one big win away from challenging for the 185-pound title. A potential matchup between himself and Adesanya is certainly a fun one to think about.
