Talk about a meteoric rise. Darren Till, fresh off his stunning victory over Donald Cerrone, is set to face #2 ranked Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
According to UFC president Dana White, the bout will take place next February 24. An event scheduled to take place in Orlando, Florida will be moved to (an as yet unrevealed city in) England to accommodate the contest. Lance Pugmire of the LA Times was first to report the news.
White was talking at the Wild Card West boxing gym, most notably known for housing boxing coach legend Freddie Roach, who cornered Georges St-Pierre last Saturday at UFC 217.
Dana White says he’s moving his UFC card from Orlando, moving it to England so popular Darren Till can fight @WonderboyMMA
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) November 8, 2017
The date is Feb. 24 for Till-Wonderboy.
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) November 8, 2017
Should Till vs. Thompson take place, it would be an absolutely astounding rise for the young Liverpudlian, Till. Unranked prior to his main event bout with Cerrone in Gdansk, Poland, Till stunned the MMA world after he completely dismantled the veteran on the feet.
In the immediate aftermath, fans called for a rise in competition for Till, and a fight with Mike Perry appeared to be on the horizon. While some suggested a bout with Thompson for the stylistic possibilities, realistically few would have seen the fight being booked this quickly. Thompson was just seen at UFC 217, where he bested Jorge Masvidal in a judges decision.
With his two razor thin fights with welterweight champion Tyron Woodley still fresh in the memory, Thompson could realistically be a few fights away from a title shot. If Till wins, however, we could be witnessing one of the quickest rises through the ranks in MMA history.
