Former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till and new UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren have been jawing at each other on social media for weeks, slowly constructing one of the division’s best rivalries.
As luck would have it, they’re both currently in London, as Till is set to battle Jorge Masvidal in the UFC London main event, and Askren is on the ground as a guest fighter.
Given that they’re both in The Big Smoke for the card, it was only a matter of time before they crossed paths. And thankfully, the UFC had cameras rolling at the time of their inevitable meeting.
See Ben Askren and Darren Till cross paths at the top of this post.
Askren also detailed this run-in with Till in a quick interview, which can be seen below:
Provided Darren Till gets by Jorge Masvidal in the UFC London main event tomorrow night, which is far from a certainty, all signs point to a fight between him and Ben Askren in the not too distant future.
Here’s the full lineup for the anticipated UFC London card, which will air entirely on ESPN+ (get a free trial here):
170 lbs.: Darren Till vs. Jorge Masvidal 170 lbs.: Leon Edwards vs. Gunnar Nelson 205 lbs.: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Dominick Reyes 135 lbs.: Jose Quinonez vs. Nathaniel Wood 170 lbs.: Danny Roberts vs. Claudio Silva 185 lbs.: Jack Marshman vs. John Phillips
145 lbs.: Arnold Allen vs. Jordan Rinaldi 155 lbs.: Marc Diakiese vs. Joseph Duffy 205 lbs.: Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Saparbeg Safarov 185 lbs.: Tom Breese vs. Ian Heinisch 145 lbs.: Danny Henry vs. Dan Ige 125 lbs.: Priscila Cachoeira vs. Molly McCann 145 lbs.: Mike Grundy vs. Nad Narimani
Do you think we’ll see Darren Till and Ben Askren fight this year, or will Jorge Masvidal play the spoiler?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/15/2019.
Sean O’Malley has blasted Merab Dvalishvili.
After Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight title against Henry Cejudo, O’Malley went into the Octagon to faceoff with ‘Funkmaster’ to set up their fight. Once O’Malley got into the ring, he handed Dvalishvhili his jacket to hold which he ended up putting on and keeping. ‘The Machine’ later said he would return the jacket once Sterling has defeated O’Malley.
Henry Cejudo has confirmed UFC President Dana White’s claim.
The UFC has booked a bantamweight title fight between 135-pound titleholder Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley. The bout is set to take place on August 19. As of late, Sterling and the UFC have been at odds. It stems from how the booking was handled, given that Sterling is coming off a five-round title fight against Cejudo. He still feels banged up.
Anthony Smith believes it could be tough sledding for Kamaru Usman in a showdown with Khamzat Chimaev.
Usman, the former UFC Welterweight Champion, has been calling to fight Chimaev. “Borz” has responded, also expressing his desire for the matchup. The initial holdup appears to have been Usman wanting to make it a catchweight fight. With that said, UFC President Dana White insists “The Nigerian Nightmare” is pounding the table for the match.
UFC President Dana White is pleased that Paulo Costa will be returning to action.
Costa had been at odds with the UFC over his contract. At one point, “Borrachinha” teased making a move to the boxing world. Costa and the UFC ultimately came to terms on a new deal and the Brazilian bruiser’s team claims he’s now the highest paid fighter from Brazil.
Chael Sonnen believes that Aljamain Sterling has been disrespected more than any other UFC champion.
Much has been made about the UFC’s treatment of its bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling. The promotion immediately booked Sterling for a bout with Sean O’Malley after the “Funk Master” had a grueling five-round title fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. This had led to some beef between Sterling and UFC President Dana White, as the two have gone back and forth over the topic of mistreatment.
Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t think too highly of Paulo Costa’s skills inside the Octagon.
Costa is scheduled to meet Ikram Aliskerov, a former opponent of Chimaev. The two will collide at UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Chimaev is not impressed by the matchup.
Joe Pyfer isn’t sure when he will be able to fight again.
Pyfer is set to grapple Gerald Meerschaert – who he knocked out at UFC 287 – this Saturday night. However, he says he is using that grappling match as a chance to see if he needs surgery on his injury or if he can fight through it.
Conor McGregor has taken aim at Canelo Alvarez.
On Saturday night, McGregor was attending the Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron boxing match in Ireland where he was asked about boxing. To no surprise, the Irishman was quite confident in his skills and took aim at Alvarez saying he thinks he would beat him no problem.
