LAS VEGAS – Darren Till has a stern test for his middleweight debut.
He takes on Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in New York on Nov. 2, a booking that has been heavily criticized by many for being just a little too tough for Till in his initial 185-pound appearance. After all, it was none other than UFC president Dana White who came out recently and said that the UFC may have pushed Till too fast in his octagon career.
“The Gorilla” is coming off back-to-back losses, including a failed attempt to capture the welterweight title against Tyron Woodley this past September, as well as a knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal in March.
Despite the setbacks, White said it was Till (17-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) who insisted on booking the Gastelum (15-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) fight.
“It’s the fight he wants,” White told MMA Junkie on Tuesday night.
When asked if UFC brass tried to talk him out of it, White said they did, but it’s absolutely what Till wanted, and the UFC boss respects him for that.
“We did,” White said. “Yes, we did. ‘That’s the fight I want.’
“We went to him and said, ‘You sure this is the fight you want?’ He’s moving up. ‘You sure the Gastelum fight?’
“‘That’s the fight I want.’ So, love it.”
Gastelum is coming off a unanimous decisionoss to Israel Adesanya at this past April’s UFC 236, a valiant effort where he fell just short of capturing the UFC interim middleweight title. Till, who’s suffered numerous times to make the cut down to 170 pounds, is hoping to find new life at middleweight but will certainly face a tough test in the heavy-handed Gastelum.
