If you didn’t know who Darren Till was ahead of his UFC Gdansk main event opposite Donald Cerrone last weekend, it is safe to say that you know who he is now.
The 24-year-old Brit produced one of the year’s biggest upsets by knocking veteran fighter Cerrone out in the first round in the Ergo Arena last weekend and his handiwork has been rewarded with a spot in the top ten of the newly released UFC divisional rankings.
Till, previously unranked, is now listed as the 8th best fighter on the UFC’s 170-pound roster and leapfrogs his opponent in Poland last weekend, whose third successive defeat sees him drop three places to 9th spot.
All eyes will be on UFC matchmakers in coming months as they decide what is next for the undefeated Till, whose post-fight comments to the cage-side Mike Perry appeared to set up a bout between the two one day down the line. For now, Perry is slated to face Santiago Ponzinibbio in December.
Another name dropped by Till in the aftermath of the Cerrone bout was that of Stephen Thompson. Writing on Twitter, Till said: “Just gonna put it out there, but imagine the chess game of striking me and Wonderboy would have?”
Just gonna put it out there, but imagine the chess game of striking me and wonderboy would have? 🤔#HighLevelStriking 🦍
— Darren Till (@darrentill2) October 24, 2017
Thompson, like Perry, has his calendar full with a Nov. 4th meeting with Jorge Masvidal but the winner of that bout would another sound option for Till’s next move — and another step up in competition. Remember, Cody Garbrandt was unranked a year before he won the UFC’s bantamweight title.
Whatever ends up being next for the dangerous striker, it is safe to say that Darren Till will come into his next bout with significantly more eyes on him than ever before.
The newly updated UFC rankings can be seen here.
