Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight hitters Tyron Woodley and Darren Till will clash this Saturday (Sept. 8, 2018) at UFC 228 inside American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
It’s been little more than one year since Woodley was last in the Octagon, a layoff which resulted in an interim title that’s still being held by a man completely unrelated to this fight. The timing didn’t work out on that contest, so Woodley now finds himself faced with a brash young striker who hasn’t exactly earned his way to this position. Luckily, Till is violent and talented, which makes it easier to overlook how his entire career is devoid of fighters with strong wrestling.
Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:
Tyron Woodley
Record: 18-3-1
Key Wins: Robbie Lawler (UFC 201), Stephen Thompson (UFC 209, UFC 214), Demian Maia (UFC 214), Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 183)
Key Losses: Rory MacDonald (UFC 174), Jake Shields (UFC 161)
Keys to Victory: Woodley is a beast of an athlete, which pairs quite well with his two-time All-American wrestling background. Early in his career, Woodley drove for takedowns along the fence and ground his foes into the mat, but most of his UFC fights have seen him happy to strike.
It might be time for a return to his roots.
There are two big questions regarding the idea of Woodley controlling Till on the mat. First and foremost, is Till’s takedown defense any good? We have no real evidence either way at the moment. Regardless of that answer, it’s also worth asking whether or not Woodley can wrestle for five rounds at the age of 36. Wrestling has fatigued him in the past, and he doesn’t want to end up tired and stranded on the feet with a knockout artist.
Woodley will find out the answer to the first question early in the fight, and the second should be answered by Woodley and his team before they walk into the Octagon. However, Woodley can make both queries a little less difficult if he’s able to consistently time takedowns well, which will cost less energy and result in easier takedowns regardless of Till’s level of skill.
As mentioned in this week’s technique highlight, slipping the cross is likely his easiest path to a double leg.
Darren Till
Record: 17-0-1
Key Wins: Stephen Thompson (UFC Fight Night 130), Donald Cerrone (UFC Fight Night 118), Bojan Velickovic (UFC Fight Night 115), Wendell de Oliveira (UFC Fight Night 67)
Key Losses: None
Keys to Victory: Till is a tall, lanky kickboxer with serious power behind his shots. His range control is excellent, allowing him to perform well by stalking opponents or sniping counter shots.
In my opinion, this bout largely hinges on the question of whether or not Till can defend the takedown. Given the size discrepancy and Woodley’s love of being along the fence, I think Till has a clear advantage on the feet, and Woodley will be plenty motivated to take him down.
Aside from the pair of technical notes I speak on in the video — utilizing the left high kick and controlling the lead hand — Till’s wrestling mentality needs to be on point here. Early on, there’s a really good chance Woodley’s gets him down; the man is a two-time Division 1 All-American wrestler. What’s important is that Till does not accept bottom position and forces Woodley to constantly work, as Woodley has yet to show the conditioning necessary to fight for 25 minutes without taking time off to rest.
Bottom Line: It may be odd considering the rest of the division, but this is an intriguing match up nevertheless.
Woodley enters as the betting underdog, which is both bizarre and understandable. On one hand, Till’s complete inexperience against wrestlers deserves to be held against him, and I don’t see how anyone could bet on him with confidence. At the same time, as an analyst, Woodley’s style really doesn’t make sense and seems to have quite a few vulnerabilities, which is hard to ignore regardless of his recent success.
Of course, that bottom line is all that matters: Woodley has a trio of title defenses to his name, and he’s looking to separate himself further from the pack with another.
As for Till, there’s so much on the line for the Scouser. Realistically, this is probably his only chance at the welterweight title before he inevitably moves to 185 pounds at some point in the near future. It’s also a major test of his skill set — can Till handle a bloody wrestler? We don’t know, and until he does it in the Octagon, the fact of the matter is that Till doesn’t either.
Luckily, we all find out tonight.
At UFC 228, Tyron Woodley and Darren Till will square off in the main event. Which man will leave the Octagon strapped with gold?