Getty Images UFC champion Israel Adesanya.
UFC fan-favorite fighter Darren Till responded to middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s latest dig.
“The Last Stylebender” commented on Till’s appearance during UFC London last weekend after the Englishman jumped on top of the Octagon alongside his countryman, Tom Aspinall. Aspinall fought in the main event against Alexander Volkov and he toppled his heavyweight counterpart via first-round straight armbar.
Adesanya wasn’t a fan of “The Gorilla” celebrating with Aspinall like that, accusing Till of trying to steal the “moment.”
“Oh, sit down, Darren,” Adesanya said in his recent YouTube video, via MMA Fighting. “It’s not your moment. Sit the f–k down, it’s not your moment. Get the f–k off.”
Taking to social media, Till responded to Adesanya in an Instagram Story, writing that Adesanya should “stay off the cocaine.”
“Adesanya you idiot, Tom Aspinall asked me to get on the cage with him,” Till wrote (edited via MMA Fighting). “Keep looking down on me for my losses, brother, it’s all good. I’ll be here one day, you watch…
“You haven’t looked the best either in your last few fights. Stay off the cocaine, it’s not healthy for fighters…”
See the Instagram Story below via the embed:
GettyDarren Till’s Instagram Story aimed at UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
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Till Moved Up to 185 Pounds in 2019, Hasn’t Been Able to Put Himself Into Title Contention
The Gorilla made waves when he moved up to middleweight from welterweight in 2019. Till’s change in weight class was viewed as somewhat of a chance of resurgence as the Englishman had lost two fights in a row at 170 pounds, which included being finished via submission by then-welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and knocked out by Jorge Masvidal.
In his first UFC 185-pound fight, Till edged Kelvin Gastelum on the scorecards, setting himself up for a top-contender match. He faced former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in July 2020 in a chess-like stand-up battle and ultimately lost by unanimous decision.
Returning over a year later, Till was once again on the hunt to become the division’s top contender, however, he was caught in a rear-naked choke by Derek Brunson, tapping out in the third round of their September 2021 clash.
Adesanya and Till have expressed interest several times in a clash, but because Till hasn’t been able to climb the middleweight mountain, they still haven’t met inside the Octagon.
Adesanya Notched His Fourth Title Defense in February 2022
The Last Stylebender has continued his dominance in the middleweight division. Since winning the belt from Whittaker in October 2019, Adesanya has gone on to defend it four times. As champion, Adesanya has beaten Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori.
He also halted Whittaker’s campaign to regain gold. In Adesanya’s most recent bout, he beat Whittaker via unanimous decision at UFC 271 in February 2022.
Adesanya only has one blemish on his professional MMA record: a decision loss to then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in March 2021.
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