UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley is going to be defending the gold against Darren Till in the main event of UFC 228.
Kamaru Usman is reportedly replacing Woodley if he gets injured, but Usman doesn’t even think that Till is going to make weight for the title bout.
“For Woodley, it’s not about making the weight, that’s not the issue,” Usman said on The MMA Hour. “He was a wrestler; it’s not about making the weight. If Woodley doesn’t fight it’s about something else. That’s the only reason Woodley is out. With Darren Till, he’s shown that it’s a weight issue. He’s a big guy. It’s not his fault, he’s growing, he’s a human being — he’s a big guy. With Till, it could be a weight issue and it could be something else.”
Till did miss weight for his last bout at UFC Fight Night Liverpool, but still picked up a decision win over Stephen Thompson on that night.
Usman says Till’s perceived weight issues remind him of what retired UFC fighter Anthony Johnson went through.
“What it reminds me of is Anthony Johnson continuously trying to make 170 back in the day,” Usman said. “This was the same struggle and I bet it’s the same for him.”
UFC 228 takes place on Saturday, December 8 from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas with Tyron Woodley and Darren Till headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
