Darren Till targeted to take on fellow middleweight contender Marvin Vettori on April 10

Darren Till and Marvin Vettori, the two top middleweights out of Europe at present, are targeted to collide on April 10. The bout will serve as the card’s headliner, and be contested over five rounds.

News of this matchup was first reported by ESPN, the official broadcast partner of the UFC.

England’s Till currently holds the No. 4 spot in the UFC middleweight rankings. The Muay Thai specialist last fought in July, when he lost a unanimous decision in a rousing fight with former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. In his next most recent fight, he picked up a split decision victory over former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. That fight marked his debut in the middleweight division after a long stint at welterweight.

As a welterweight, Till picked up victories over solid foes in Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson en route to challenging then-champion Tyron Woodley for the title. After coming up short against Woodley via submission, Till succumbed to a knockout loss at the hands of Jorge Masvidal. He then announced his move up to middleweight.

In Vettori, Till will meet the UFC’s No. 5-ranked middleweight contender. The Italian star last fought in December, when he picked up an impressive decision victory over Jack Hermansson, another top European middleweight. That win was preceded by victories over Karl Roberson, Andrew Sanchez, and Cezar Ferreira. Vettori has not lost since 2018, when he lost a split decision to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

This Till vs. Vettori fight will occur one week before another key middleweight showdown between the former champion Whittaker and the most recent title challenger, Paulo Costa. The expectation is that any of these top-ranked middleweights could earn a shot at Adesanya, who is currently tied up with a light heavyweight title fight opposite that division’s champion Jan Blachowicz.

Who do you think will win when Darren Till and Marvin Vettori collide in April?