Darren Till wants Israel Adesanya: ‘We’re meant to fight’

UFC middleweight contender Darren Till says a fight against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is “meant to happen.”

Fresh off of a split decision victory over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244, Till is now ranked in the top-five of the UFC middleweight division. Adesanya seems likely to fight Yoel Romero next, leaving Till with a matchup against a top contender like Jared Cannonier or Robert Whittaker. With one more big win, Till could get a title shot against Adesanya.

Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Till said that his goal moving up to 185lbs is to eventually fight and defeat Adesanya and capture the UFC middleweight title. Till believes a fight against Adesanya is inevitable and talked about a potential matchup in the interview with Helwani (h/t MiddleEasy.com).

“Yeah, it’s gotta happen,” Till said. “I said in the press conference about Israel, mate, people got to stop doubting these type of people. Israel is unbeaten, so there ain’t no blueprint out there to beat him yet. So all these people need to stop saying that sh*t. Me and Israel need to fight. I need to provide this blueprint. It’s not about the belt, it’s about the destiny. Because he knows, he’ll come in the studio and tell you, me and him are meant to fight at some point. And you know, we’ll see, we’ll f–king see after I get off these crutches first. But we’re meant to fight.”

The win over Gastelum snapped Till’s two-fight losing skid at welterweight. Moving up to middleweight should give him a fresh start in his career and he’s likely only one or two wins away from getting a title shot against Adesanya. As for the champ, he’s a perfect 18-0 in his MMA career, including a perfect 7-0 mark thus far inside the Octagon.

Who wins a fight between Darren Till and Israel Adesanya?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/5/2019.