Darren Till didn’t land a victory over Robert Whittaker in the UFC on ESPN 14, but he still managed to get the attention of reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Saturday’s main event finally unfolded in five rounds with Whittaker getting the go-ahead by the narrowest margin. Later, Adesanya turned to Twitter to say that she still hoped to face Till in the future while sending her a message of support.
“I still want to fight until one day,” said Adesanya. “Her strike is beautiful. Stay Darren!
I still want to fight until someday.
Its striking is beautiful.
Stay Darren!– Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) July 26, 2020
In response, Till couldn’t help but laugh at some of the messages she sent to Adesanya, as she became a social media superstar in recent months.
“Another good friend,” Till said of Adesanya at the post-fight press conference. “I’m going to have to fire DM for a while. All I do is yell at him on videos on Instagram videos. But I have a lot of respect for Israel, he is a great fighter. “
With a knockout victory over Whittaker last October, Adesanya established himself as the best middleweight in the world. He then defended the belt with a victory over Yoel Romero, and his next fight was already booked against Paulo Costa in September at UFC 253.
Until he finally knows that he will make his way to a fight with Adesanya, and his confidence is high in that stylistic showdown. In fact, he feels he passed a tougher test at Whittaker because the former middleweight champion was able to threaten him with takedowns multiple times in five rounds. You don’t see the same danger that comes from Adesanya.
“This is not a lack of respect for [Adesanya]I think it’s probably an easier fight for me than Rob, “Till said.” Because we’d probably have a surprisingly big battle. Rob is a little different because he confuses him. I know Israel. Israel is the champion.
“He is a great MMA fighter, but he is a pure striker. I think we would have a great fight. Rob mixed it up a bit. He’s wilder than me, Rob, like he’s going to explode with his head. As if he had caught me with some crackers and I was eating them for breakfast. ”
Despite Saturday night’s loss, Till doesn’t feel defeated because his fight with Whittaker could have been easy in the final decision. It could take a couple more wins to come now, but he is certain that a showdown with Adesanya is inevitable.
“Listen, Israel and I are going to fight someday,” said Till. “Just give me a little time. I’ll come back, knock someone out, and we’ll fight. Don’t worry, I’m still on top. “
