Nästa helg går den unga superstjärnan från Liverpool Darren ”The Gorilla” Till sin första match i USA då han utmanar Tyron ”The Chosen One” Woodley om welterviktstiteln på UFC 228: Woodley vs. Till i Dallas, Texas. Till är obesegrad i UFC och hans enda bakslag var ett oavgjort resultat mot dansken Nicolas Dalby 2015.
I sin senaste match tog Till en otroligt teknisk vinst mot den, enligt många, bästa strikern i UFC: Stephen ”Wonderboy” Thompson på hemmaplan i Liverpool – i en match där Till missade vikten grovt. Thompson gästade under veckan Submission Radio och tyckte inte att den unge britten förtjänade en titelchans, just på grund av viktmissen.
HETAST JUST NU
“Do I think he deserves it? No. I really don’t. This is a professional sport, and making weight is part of the job. You agreed to make the weight. I mean, it’s like the Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero. You know, if you don’t make weight, you don’t fight for the title. I think it should be the same. If you don’t make weight, you don’t move up the rankings” sade Thompson.
“It’s part of the job. You signed a contract to be that way, and my god, you should make it, you should make it. And he was bragging about it weeks before the fight how he’s this massive 170(-pounder), how the UFC shouldn’t be allowing the fight. Which made him look even worse because he didn’t make weight. And that was 171. I mean, how is he gonna make 170? So yeah, man, I would definitely be questioning that as a fan, but also as the UFC. So, for him to be actually fighting for the title, man… and they’re wondering why people aren’t making weight.”
”Inga konsekvenser för att missa vikten”
Under veckan har bland andra Robert Whittaker uttryckt en oro över avsaknaden av straff för de fighters som missar vikten – något som ”Wonderboy” håller med om. Thompson gick även så långt att han anklagade Till för att medvetet missa vikten, då han visste att konsekvenserna skulle vara minimala
“There’s no consequences,” Thompson continued. “Yeah sure, he wasn’t getting paid much for that fight, so of course he won’t make weight. Give 20 or 30 percent or whatever it was to move up the rakings. So now, I mean, he’s probably getting crazy money to fight now, so I bet it was worth it. And the UFC is like, why aren’t these guys making weight? Because there’s no consequences.
“You know, no real consequences. A lot of people will give them 30 percent and move up the rakings cause their next fight will be more money. It’s just a sacrifice at the moment for a bigger gain later on.”