Ufc 228: tyron woodley: there’s a decent chance till will miss weight

A week on Saturday, Till will challenge Woodley for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 228, which takes place in Dallas, Texas. UFC 228’s showpiece bout provides Liverpool

native Till with the opportunity to become only the second British mixed martial artist to hold a title in MMA’s premier promotion, the first being former middleweight champion Michael

Bisping. Till’s title shot came in surprising circumstances as Colby Covington was seemingly in line to challenge Woodley - his former American Top Team training partner - for the belt

following a dominant victory over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225, a triumph which saw him claim the interim welterweight title. The UFC’s plans for a unification bout were scuppered when

Covington revealed he’d undergo surgery for an ongoing nasal issue, which prompted them to offer Woodley to Till. One talking point amongst fans going into UFC 228 is the fact Till missed

weight for his last bout, which saw him defeat Stephen Thompson in front of his hometown crowd at The Echo Arena. Till came in three-and-half pounds over the 171lbs limit, a fact which has

led many to wonder if he’ll be able to make championship weight a week on Friday. Till is adamant his weight cut won’t be an issue this time around as he is finishing off the final stages of

his camp at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Woodley isn’t so sure about that and believes we could very well see ‘The Gorilla’ miss weight for a second fight on the spin.

"I’m not concerned with it, but I know there’s a pretty decent chance he could miss weight,” Woodley told Express Sport. When Till missed weight for his homecoming bout with Thompson,

the fight briefly hung in the balance as ‘Wonderboy’s’ team renegotiated terms with the UFC, one of which prohibited the Liverpudlian from weighing heavier than 188lbs on fight day. Woodley

has already had discussions with the UFC brass about the possibility of Till missing weight, despite not being worried about the matter. “Those are the issues and things I’ve spoken to the

UFC about already,” he continued. “People are always going to find something to (criticise),” Till told Express Sport. “I’m 17-0 in the UFC, I’m unbeaten in MMA. “People are always going to

say, ‘Who’s he beat? He’s only beat Cowboy (Donald Cerrone). So what you’re trying to tell me is Cowboy is a nobody? Cowboy will be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

And I beat him in one round. “You can say what you want about the Stephen Thompson fight. But you cannot disregard that me and Stephen went five rounds in a technical fight. Apparently, he’s

one of the best strikers in the UFC, Stephen Thompson. “Yeah, I came out after the fight and said, ‘I missed weight, I don’t feel like I deserve a title shot.’ “I agree with everyone saying

s**t like that, I said it. But to disregard me in such a way is disrespectful. I am the fighter I am through all this hard work and these years of fighting. “You don’t get to this position

or this level of fighting or a record like mine by beating nobodies.”