There are a lot of movements in the UFC middleweight division at the moment. Israel Adesanya takes on Marvin Vettori in June at UFC 263. Darren Till makes his return against Derek Brunson on August 14th and Paulo Costa takes on Jared Cannonier on the August 21 card.
It seems the division will have some serious number one contenders after Adesanya’s title defense at UFC 263. Robert Whittaker is way ahead of the line with 3 huge wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum. However, the recent comments from Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman might be a matter of concern for the fans of the reaper.
Eugene Bareman said that by declining to fight Israel Adesanya on June 12 PPV, Robert Whittaker has lost his number one contender spot. And contenders such as Darren Till, Kevin Holland, Derek Brunson might get the next shot at the title.
Now that comment does not make any sense at all when we consider the resume of Whittaker after his loss to Adesanya at UFC 243. However, he will have some competition from the winners of Jared Cannonier vs Paulo Costa and Darren Till vs Derek Brunson.
Read More: “F****g single leg”- Israel Adesanya predicts a violent finish against Marvin Vettori
Darren Till might earn a title shot with a win
If Israel Adesanya wins in the Marvin Vettori rematch then he has some huge matchups for him in the division. The biggest fight has to be the rematch against Robert Whittaker. The first fight took place in front of the biggest crowd in UFC history and the rematch can generate similar if not better revenue.
Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa rematch is also intriguing considering the bad blood between Costa and Adesanya. However, Darren Till vs Israel Adesanya has the potential to be one of the biggest fights in recent times if Till can get back on the winning streak in an emphatic fashion.
The stocks of Darren Till are down at the moment after the loss to Robert Whittaker. But if he can finish Derek Brunson on August 14 then Adesanya will certainly fancy a fight with Darren Till.
Even if Marvin Vettori wins the fight, a title fight between Vettori and Till can be a huge draw if UFC decides to go to England. But the next few fights in the division are going to be crucial to decide who gets the title shot next.
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