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Darren Till: Last Line Of Defence

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On July 23rd when the UFC returns to London for the second time this year, Darren Till will be defending more than just home soil. Scheduled for the co-main event against foreign invader Jack Hermansson, Till’s status as a legitimate middleweight contender is likely on the line this time around.

Winning just one of his last five fights in the UFC, Till is without a win since his middleweight debut against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in November of 2019. Whilst following that with a close decision loss to Robert Whittaker didn’t feel like a huge step backwards, it did feel like a massive opportunity was missed. It would be over a year until we would see Darren back in the cage after several cancellations with the likes of Hermansson and Marvin Vettori. Arguably the most damaging loss of his career, Till was beaten on his return by Derek Brunson who despite a great start for ‘The Gorilla’, was able to take Till down consistently and submitted him in the third round.

Whilst the loss to Brunson was a huge hit to Till’s momentum and stock in the division, he has regained that in recent months through an unlikely partnership. Linking up with arguably the most hyped fighter in the sport, Khamzat Chimaev has brought back the side of Till that people want to see. His bromance with Chimaev has got people excited to see Till now but he has to win on July 23rd to keep this positivity going, he can’t afford to be known as a hilarious character who doesn’t usually deliver the goods come fight night.

In Jack Hermansson he faces a perfect test of his credibility as a top middleweight in the UFC. The biggest threat in this fight is Hermansson’s grappling prowess as fans will be hoping that Till’s training with Chimaev has helped him to get that fire back inside but also improve on some of the weaker areas of his game. Hermansson is a fighter that has proved himself in the top 15 time and time again but never beats the guys who go on to title eliminators or to fight for the belt itself. His most recent losses have come to Sean Strickland, Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier whilst he has been able to keep his spot thanks to wins over Edmen Shahbazyan, Kelvin Gastelum and Jacare Souza. 

Jack Hermansson is the acid test. Can Darren Till beat a guy that loses to the very best of the division and in that process, can he stop ‘The Joker’ from taking him down the same way Brunson did. INterestingly, the one fight that Till has won in his last five was when he wasn’t the main event attraction but you can’t look past the pressure on his shoulders going into this one.

Whoever loses could find themselves out of the elite middleweight picture for good. It’s sink or swim time in London and the Thames is rising high. 

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Paul Hughes Gets New Opponent as Oduwole Out

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Cage Warriors – Europe’s Leading MMA Organisation – have today announced a change in the scheduled opponent for Irish superstar Paul Hughes at Cage Warriors 170. 

An injury occurring just days after he signed to fight Hughes has forced Yemi Oduwole out of the contest. 

The promotion wishes him a speedy return to full health. 

CW officials have moved quickly to secure a suitable replacement, today confirming that Hughes will remain on the Saturday, April 6th bill, now facing off with Edgar ‘Smooth’ Escarrega. 

The bout will feature on the main card of CW 170 at Dublin’s iconic RDS, and air live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners. 

The 29-year-old Escarrega, who hails from the port city of Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico, brings an impressive 12-3-1 record to the contest. 

The Victory Fight Club man – who is a striker by trade – is unbeaten in his last six contests, and from twelve victories has a total of five KOs, two submissions and five points wins to his name. 

“From Mexico to the world, here I come!” said Escarrega, when signing on the dotted line for what is undoubtedly the biggest opportunity of his professional career. 

Hughes, from County Derry, is widely considered to be on the cusp of signing with the UFC following a series of impressive performances in the famous yellow gloves of Cage Warriors. 

‘Big News’ recently vacated his featherweight title, moving up to the 155lb division to stop top contender Jan Quaeyhaegens in the first round. 

Also scheduled for the CW 170 card, Dublin’s James ‘Jimbo Slice’ Sheehan contests the vacant welterweight title with Switzerland’s Daniel Konrad, with Ger Harris, Solomon Simon, Decky McAleenan, Taka Mhandu and more set to feature. 

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“I Should Get The Shot” – Jacob Smith Wants World Title Fight If He Bests Denis Puric At ONE Fight Night 21

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Fiery flyweight Muay Thai star Jacob Smith enjoyed a triumphant return to ONE Championship last December at ONE Fight Night 17 after 18 months on the sidelines. 

The Scouse striker knocked out Walter Goncalves to gain momentum in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and he plans to add to it next month.

Smith returns to action against Bosnian-Canadian powerhouse Denis Puric at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Saturday, 6th April, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. 

Fans anticipate a thunderous clash, as they are both known to finish fights. Smith feels he knows what to expect from Puric, and he plans to give him an unwelcome gift for his birthday. 

“I’m either going to stop him with the knee or stop him with an elbow. I feel like the first round is going to be quite fiery. But if he decides to rush me too early, he’s going to walk into some big shots, so I could just finish him in round one,” he said. 

“But I’m sure I’m fighting him on his 39th birthday. So, unfortunately, my birthday present is going to be me knocking him out.”

When Jacob Smith debuted in ONE Championship at May 2022’s ONE 157, he battled ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon across three rounds of hard-hitting action. 

He came up short that night via unanimous decision, and a series of injuries forced him to take time away from action afterward. But that gap seemed to have allowed him level up his skill set. 

Smith came back stronger than ever, and his first-round finish of Goncalves last December pegged him as one to watch. The #2-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender is hoping to score back-to-back wins against Puric next month, and he knows exactly what he wants if he’s successful.

“My goal is to be ONE Championship Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, and fingers crossed by the end of the year that comes through,” Smith said. 

“Rodtang is the champion, and Superlek is number one. After beating Walter, I’m now number two. Rodtang and Superlek are probably going fight each other again soon. Then I should get the shot at the winner after I beat Puric.”

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UFC Vegas 89 – Results | Ribas vs Namajunas

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Live from the Apex, UFC Vegas 89 saw former strawweight Rose Namajunas make her second appearance at flyweight against contender Amanda Ribas.

Note: any point deductions will be denoted by an asterisk and explained at the bottom of the page.

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Main card (2am GMT – TNT Sports)

Rose Namajunas defeats (#8) Amanda Ribas via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) – flyweight bout

Karl Williams defeats Justin Tafa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – heavyweight bout

Edmen Shahbazyan defeats AJ Dobson via knockout (punches – 4:43 – R1) – middleweight bout

Payton Talbott defeats Cameron Saaiman via TKO (punches – 0:21 – R2) – bantamweight bout

Youssef Zalal defeats Billy Quarantillo via submission (rear-naked-choke – 1:50 – R2) – featherweight bout

Fernando Padilla defeats Luis Pajuelo via submission (brabo choke – 2:45 – R1) – featherweight bout

Prelims (11pm GMT – TNT Sports/UFC Fight Pass)

Trey Ogden defeats Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – lightweight bout

Julian Erosa defeats Ricardo Ramos via submission (guillotine – 2:15 – R1) – featherweights bout

Miles John defeats Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – bantamweight bout

Jarno Errens defeats Steve Nguyen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – featherweight bout

Darya Zheleznyakova defeats Monsterrat Rendon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – bantamweight bout

Andre Lima defeats Igor Severino via disqualification (biting – 2:52 – R2) – flyweight bout

Mick Parkin defeats Mohammed Usman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – heavyweight bout

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