Darren Till makes his return to the octagon in one of the most hyped cards of the year at UFC 282 against one of the toughest opponents in the middleweight division, Dricus Du Plessis.
The fight between the two may have big implications for the future of the division. Till awaiting the comeback that he ensures is on the horizon and Du Plessis awaiting his chance to get the recognition he deserves at 185lbs.
Darren Till
Anybody that knows MMA knows Darren Till. The young Liverpool-based fighter broke into the limelight during his run at welterweight and grew into a superstar. Wins over Donald Cowboy Cerrone and Stephen Wonderboy Thompson cemented him as a real contender at 170 lbs.
At only 25, Till was in his first title bout in the UFC. A matchup between him and then-champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 in Texas. Till fell short that night losing to a second-round submission to Woodley and again to Jorge Masvidal the following March.
This prompted ‘the Gorilla’ to make the move to middleweight which also hasn’t been an easy road either. A win over former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum at MSG put Till right in the middleweight elite. A closely contested bout against former champion Robert Whittaker and his recent loss to Derek Brunson has left Till desperate for a return to the top.
A handful of injuries have set the 29-year-old back in recent times but a win over Du Plessis will not be ignored by the rest of the 185lb division who will all want a crack at Darren Till.
Dricus Du Plessis
Whilst Dricus Du Plessis hasn’t been in the UFC as much as his upcoming opponent, nor has he made as many headlines as Till, he cannot be counted out.
The South African made a name for himself in promotions such as EFC and KSW before making the jump to the UFC. Starting his UFC career off at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs Sandhagan, getting a first-round finish over Markus Perez.
The 28-year-old has been perfect since then. A win over Trevin Giles and Brad Tavares has put Du Plessis into the middleweight top 15.
Multiple cancelled bouts against such fighters as Chris Curtis and Kelvin Gastelum have left Du Plessis desperate for the chance to fight a big name and prove himself. Now, at UFC 282 the fighter has the biggest fight of his career.
Prediction – Darren Till def Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
