MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the co-main event for UFC 244.
UFC 244 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN2/ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Kelvin Gastelum (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 5’9″ Age: 28 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: 71″
- Last fight: Decision loss to Israel Adesanya(April 13, 2019)
- Camp: Kings MMA (California)
- Stance/striking style: Southpaw/kickboxing
- Risk management: Fair
Supplemental info:
+ “TUF 17” winner
+ 10th Planet jiu-jitsu purple belt
+ Wrestling base
+ 8 KO victories
+ 4 submission wins
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ KO power
^ Dropped or stopped 7 of last 9 opponents
+ High-pressure approach
+ Improved boxing
^ Accurate hooks and crosses
+ Hard left body kick
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Solid wrestling and scrambles
+ Strong from front-headlock
^ Always looks for back
+/- 2-0-1 against UFC southpaws
Darren Till (17-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC)
Staple info:
- Height: 6’0″ Age: 26 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: 74″
- Last fight: Knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal(March 16, 2019)
- Camp: Team Kaobon (Liverpool, Eng.)
- Stance/striking style: Southpaw/muay Thai
- Risk management: Good
Supplemental info:
+ K-1 European title
+ Luta Livre purple belt
+ Thai boxing experience
+ 10 KO victories
+ 2 submission wins
+ 5 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Good feints and footwork
+ Accurate left hand
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Hard Thai kicks
^ Works well to the body
+ Strong inside the clinch
^ Dangerous elbows and knees
+ Serviceable grappling ability
+/- 1-0 against UFC southpaws
Point of interest: Southpaw savvy
The co-main event for UFC 244 features an interesting matchup of striking-savvy southpaws who aren’t afraid to sling leather.
Darren Till, who embodies an authentic muay Thai spirit, mixes in a unique brand of southpaw swagger that is reined in by head coach Colin Heron. Despite the bravado that the Englishman exudes, Till smartly works behind subtle feints and solid footwork while creating angles that allow him to capitalize and counter on his opponent’s reactions.
Favoring his crafty left cross, Till possesses a pull-counter that is slightly akin to Conor McGregor’s, typically stunning his opposition when landing it cleanly. The 26-year-old also throws left Thai kicks that tend to flow off of his left-handed threats, but he could get more than he bargains for should he throw them nakedly (without setup) against his current counterpart.
That said, I do suspect we may see more weapons than Till has typically brought to the table. Admittedly fighting through injuries during the main stretch of his UFC tenure, Till seemed to limit himself to just a few choice weapons.
In his defense, Till has opened up in more recent efforts, whether it be by showing moves like oblique kicks or staying much more active with his right hand. And given the fact that he’ll have a shorter southpaw foe in front of him on Saturday night, I suspect we’ll see more kicks and lead-sided attacks from Till this time around.
Nevertheless, despite Till’s arsenal opening up on paper, I can’t help but wonder if the left hand that knocked him out in London will be looming in his head – particularly when pitted against another smaller, speedier opponent.
Enter Kelvin Gastelum.
If this was the middleweight division that boxing offered in the early 1980s, then Gastelum may very well be our Roberto Duran.
An inherent pressure-fighter who steps up to the plate no matter the size discrepancy, we have seen Gastelum’s striking skills come to fruition under the tutelage of Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA. Having a history of transforming high-level grapplers (especially southpaws) into dangerous strikers, Cordeiro has seemingly imparted the same knowledge onto Gastelum, who now incorporates crushing liver kicks to his already potent punches.
Staying in the Southern California scene, we also have watched Gastelum make measurable improvements to his boxing and footwork. Pivoting more off of his right hand, Gastelum will now take better angles, getting the jump on opponents mid-exchange. And akin to the comparison above, Gastelum’s comfort when it comes to boxing in the pocket or countering on the inside has also improved.
However, as we saw in Gastelum’s last fight with now-undisputed middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, aggression is a two-way street that he is not beyond being caught speeding on. Should the 28-year-old talent allow Till to find his counters and range early, then Gastelum will likely be forced to find another road to victory.
Next point of interest: Potential grappling threats
Point of interest: Potential grappling threats
Considering the potential chaos that is being projected to take place on the feet, I would not be shocked to see small portions of this fight hit the floor.
Despite trending away from your typical offensive wrestling game, Gastelum possesses legitimate takedown skills and, more importantly, the ability to make a fight ugly in his favor. Even if he isn’t initiating or winning the grappling exchanges at first, the Mexican-American fighter has a knack for turning things around.
A natural inside of a scramble, Gastelum shows a solid sense of positional awareness, fighting grips and staying calm in the process. And when he decides to get going, the Arizona state champion’s wrestling chops shine through in the way in which he goes about his business.
Whether he is floating from a front-headlock series or using a Peterson or Granby roll to create reversal opportunities, Gastelum can be a handful for any fighter not familiar with that sort of repertoire. That said, his Liverpudlian opponent is not exactly one to be pushed around in close quarters.
Till, who has demonstrated solid (and I dare say underrated) takedown defense during his time in the octagon, does not wield a grappling base that you would stereotype with his area.
Coming from a Luta Livre background (a grappling style more synonymous with catch wrestling than jiu-jitsu), Till demonstrates excellent positional awareness and disciplined hand-fighting, a technique that helps him defend takedowns, as well as allows him to unleash unforgiving elbows when topside.
From the bottom, the Liverpudlian generally displays decent craft and composure when put on his back, and will usually not stick around too long to see how things play out (outside of his fight with Tyron Woodley, of course). Instead, Till will typically elect to turtle-out to his base and work to stand from there.
The potential problem, however, is that if Till goes that route in scrambling scenarios, he does risk giving his back in transit or worse: allowing Gastelum to get of hold of a front-headlock grasp and having to work from there. But as we saw in Till’s last outing opposite Jorge Masvidal, he can competently scramble with game competition, likely making for a hard man to control.
Next point of interest: Odds, opinion and prediction
Point of interest: Odds and opinions
The oddsmakers and public seem to be siding somewhat confidently with the smaller but more established middleweight, listing Gastelum -210 and Till +175 as of this writing.
Considering that I already stated in a previous article that I didn’t like this fight booking from the start, then it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that I don’t disagree with the betting line listed above.
Now, please, don’t misunderstand me or my previous official picks in Till fights: I’ve been a fan of the 26-year-old since his UFC debut in Brazil (which followed with a sweet bilingual post-fight interview that would soon become his staple), but – because of my curiosity to see his full potential – I also can’t help but be critical of the matchups Till’s taken in part to his fast promotional rise.
I’m not against Till moving up to test the waters at middleweight, I just would’ve preferred it come against a fighter who doesn’t have the ability to replicate what just happened to him. Not only can Gastelum lob lethal left hands Till’s way from a southpaw stance (as shots from that side are traditionally more emphatic blindspots for true southpaws), but he’s also dropped or stopped 7 of his last 9 opponents.
I don’t know if Gastelum will get the stoppage given Till’s potential benefits from no longer having to make drastic weight cuts, but I do believe that his speed, power and pace will be enough to force the kind of fight he wants down the stretch of a three-round thriller.
