Darren Till Downplays Ankle Injury, Reveals Chances Of Fighting At UFC 248
There has been a ton of speculation about Darren Till and whether or not he’s going to be fighting at UFC 248, as well as whether or not he’s dealing with an injury.
Many were disappointed to hear that Till won’t be competing at the UFC London card next month, which will be headlined by Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards. However, it was then reported that Till will fight Jared Cannonier at the UFC 248 pay-per-view (PPV) next month. The show goes down on March 7 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
However, conflicting reports have been surfacing as to why Till isn’t fighting Cannonier. Some say Till is injured and others say the Englishman’s camp is struggling to negotiate with the UFC on the financial side of things. While Till has since denied being injured, he tells Fight Disciples that he has, in fact, been dealing with an ankle injury over time, but he’s been working through it. (H/T MMA Junkie)
“You know me – always niggles,” Till said. “My ankle is just a bit niggly. It’s just a little floating injury I’ve always had. … I’m just training and working through it. I’m just training like I’ve got a fight at the moment. I trained right through Christmas. I’ve been training since my last fight, to be honest. I had a week or two off.
“Right up until this point I’ve been saying it: I’m ready to fight. If the call comes, I don’t have to cut too much weight. I’ll be 90 percent ready.”
As for Till’s potential fight with Cannonier at UFC 248, the card, headlined by a middleweight title bout between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero, already has 13 fights scheduled. “The Gorilla” said he thinks there’s a “50/50” chance he’ll compete on the card. He also looks forward to fighting a “scary” opponent in Cannonier.
“I think right now maybe 50/50,” Till said. “Openly, I know the UFC has been speaking to my manager and trying to sort out something – a good deal to get the fight going. All I can say to you – and I’m very honest – is I hope the fight comes off.
“I want to fight the best. I want to fight the scariest dudes. Cannonier is definitely one of them, so hopefully we can sort something (out). I want to get that title this year. I want to start cementing my name.”
Do you think Till will ultimately compete at UFC 248?
