Tyron Woodley v Darren Till: UFC 228 preview, tale of the tape, odds and predictions for welterweight title fight in Texas
Liverpool's finest takes on the 'The Chosen One' for the UFC Welterweight belt on Sunday night in Texas
Darren Till is aiming to dethrone UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley on Saturday, September 8 in Dallas to cap an incredible year.
12 months ago, the Liverpool born-and-bred striking sensation was coming off the back of a unanimous decision win over Bojan Velickovic.
But a brutal first-round knockout of legend Donald Cerrone and a hard-fought win over title-challenger Stephen Thompson has propelled the undefeated star into title contention.
However, he comes face-to-face with one of the most powerful and dominant champions in the 25-year history; Tyron 'The Chosen One' Woodley.
Blessed with fantastic athleticism and exceptional punch power, the 37-year-old is ranked as No.7 in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
A talented wrestler with the ability to knock opponents out cold at close quarters, many experts do not expect the fight to go the distance at the American Airlines Arena.
But just who is the favourite for the fight and where will it be won and lost? Scroll down for a comprehensive preview of this potentially explosive welterweight war.
Tale of the Tape
At the UFC 25th anniversary press conference in Los Angeles, fans got to see the two welterweight warriors face-to-face for the first time.
While many knew beforehand Till would be the much-bigger man, fight fans were left stunned at the visible size difference between the two.
Woodley has always been a stocky welterweight, with an incredibly wide back, chest and shoulders to make him the formidable striking and wrestling force he is.
Even when opponents are much taller than him (like Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson for instance), very few can match him for brawn.
However, Till is one such man.
The key to this fight could be the weight cut Till has to endure, he has repeatedly said he is the lightest he has ever been prior to a fight after training at the UFC's Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
But having missed weight for his previous fight against 'Wonderboy', fans will be eagerly weighting to see the result of Friday's weigh-in.
Should Till be drained from an exhausting weight cut, it could grant Woodley the perfect opportunity to use the power in his legs to drive underneath his far bigger opponent and work on his ground-and-pound game.
Expert predictions
Former UFC heavyweight: Brendan Schaub: " When Woodley is on the set of UFC Tonight, when he's on the set of whatever movie he is on, when he's in the studio busting out bars, you know what Darren Till is doing? He's training in the gym for Woodley.
"I think there is something to be said for that, I think there's something to be said when you're the champ and you have all this other stuff going on.
"But then you have this young, hungry Liverpool Lion in Darren Till who wants it so bad he is missing out on time with his wife, with his kid...
"Is Woodley still hungry enough to maintain that high level of competition? I'll take Till via TKO."
Matt Quiggins, Combat Press staff writer: "While Woodley has been out over a year since his last outing, Till has fought three times in the last year. This puts Woodley at a huge disadvantage, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him play it safe, like he did against Maia.
"Till has a significant size advantage. As long as the Brit makes weight — a problem he has had in the past — then he’ll bring Woodley a really tough fight. Honestly, I’m not confident the champ can keep skating by, as he has done in all of his fights since knocking out Robbie Lawler to claim the title. Till takes this one by TKO while overwhelming the champ with his striking."
Dan Kuhl, Combat Press Interview Manager: "The UFC has been pushing Till, and it’s going to backfire once again. Everyone seems to point to how Till steamrolled Cerrone, but this isn’t the same “Cowboy” of old. In his last five bouts, including his loss to Till, Cerrone has secured just one win.
"Till vs. Thompson? A fight that would have been scored for Thompson anywhere other than in Liverpool. If anything, the fight should have been a split decision favouring Thompson. It’s also no surprise that Till has missed weight in two of his six Octagon appearances.
"It just seems like the odds are in Woodley’s favour. The current champ hasn’t tasted defeat in over four years. He has secured wins over current middleweight standout Kelvin Gastelum, former champion Lawler and the aforementioned Thompson and Maia.
"It hasn’t mattered if Woodley has fought on the ground or on the feet, because he knows how to win fights. It may not always be the most exciting bout, but it’s a win nonetheless.
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"Woodley is going to get a finish on Saturday. He is going to respect the power of Till, but not in the same way that Thompson did. This will surprise Till."
Betting Odds (courtesy of Ladbrokes)
Outright Winner:
- Darren Till - 10/11
- Tyron Woodley - 10/11
Method of Victory:
- Darren Till Decision - 3/1
- Darren Till Stoppage - 21/10
- Tyron Woodley Decision - 2/1
- Tyron Woodley Stoppage - 13/5