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UFC Gdansk: What time is Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone vs Darren Till, where can I watch it and what are the odds?

Till has the chance to zoom up the welterweight rankings this evening: Getty
Till has the chance to zoom up the welterweight rankings this evening: Getty

One of the fastest rising stars of the British MMA scene faces the biggest test of his career this evening, as Liverpool’s Darren Till takes on UFC veteran Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.

Till boasts a superb professional record of 15-0-1 and now has the chance to catapult himself up the UFC welterweight rankings with a win over the experienced Cerrone in Poland.

But it won’t be easy. 34-year-old Cerrone, known as one of the busiest fighters in the UFC, is a former lightweight title contender and desperate to snap a two-fight losing streak, after losses to Robbie Lawler and Jorge Masvidal.

Here’s everything you need to know about the contest.

When and where is UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs Till?

It’s on Saturday October 21 and takes place at the Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland. It’s the first time the UFC has ever visited the country and the main card is scheduled to start at 9m BST.

What TV channel can I watch it on?

For UK viewers, you will be able to catch the action on BT Sport ESPN.

Coverage begins at 8pm.

What is the fight card?

Main card:

  • Donald Cerrone (32-9) vs Darren Till (15-0-1)

  • Karolina Kowalkiewicz (10-2) vs Jodie Esquibel (6-2)

  • Jan Blachowicz (19-7) vs Devin Clark (8-1)

  • Oskar Piechota (9-0) vs Jonathan Wilson (7-2)

Prelims

  • Marcin Held vs Nasrat Haqparast

  • Anthony Hamilton vs Adam Wieczorek

  • Damian Stasiak vs Brian Kelleher

  • Sam Alvey vs Ramazan Emeev

  • Artem Lobov vs Andre Fili

  • Salim Touahri vs Warlley Alves

  • Lisa Lansberg vs Aspen Ladd

  • Felipe Arantes vs Josh Emmett

What have they been saying?

Darren Till: “It’s the biggest moment of my career to date. I’m just trying to live in the moment and make the most of every minute of it.

“This kind of opportunity doesn’t come along all the time. I’ve grabbed it with both hands.

“I’m still a fan of Cowboy. He’s everything you want from a fighter, that’s never going to change. I look up to him and I respect him but, come fight night, I have to put all that to one side and I’ll have to put my fist in his face. It’ll be no different to any other opponent.

“The dream is to then headline in my home town. I want to be the first scouser to bring the UFC to Liverpool. Let’s get to the Echo arena, let’s get me a top 10 opponent - that will be one of the most historical moments in my career.”

Till is a rising star within the UFC (Getty)
Till is a rising star within the UFC (Getty)

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone: “Other than the sleep apnea, coming over here to Poland has been great. My weight is fine, I’m eating anything I want right now. In fact, I met a local family here and they took us and cooked us dinner last night. She put out a thanksgiving spread and I said sorry ma’am, I can’t eat this much food but then I did.

“It’s cool, I enjoy Europe. I was trying to get a fight and the UFC gave me a lineup of all the places that they were offering me, and there was no Europe on there. I said ‘What about the Poland card?’ And Sean Shelby (UFC Matchmaker) was like ‘You’ll go overseas?’ and I was like ‘Sure, why not?’”

“It doesn’t matter where I fight or when I fight. You guys don’t understand, I’ll fight on the first fight of the night. It doesn’t have to be the main event or Poland or a Pay-Per-View. It makes no difference to me. This is what I love to do.”

Dan Hardy’s take:

“I feel it's only a matter of time before people are talking about Till as a top contender. His skills are undeniable and his self belief is that missing piece in many fighters’ approach and is often the thing that sets champions and challengers apart. Sit and talk to Darren Till for five minutes and he will convince anyone that he will seize the victory in Gdansk.

“Cowboy has been competing at top 10 standard for as many years as Till has been a professional though and with that comes valuable experience.

“Cowboy possesses knowledge which means quicker decision making, calmness of mind in chaotic situations and an understanding of how to win against many different opponents.

“A win for the Scouse scrapper would catapult him towards the top of the division and save him going through many lower ranked fighters to reach the same destination. With that step up come many additional challenges, not to mention this being his first five round main event bout in the UFC. It's a big risk for Cowboy, to put it on the line against a highly touted prospect, but as he said himself, "If he's that good I'll fight him eventually. Why not now?”

What are the odds?

Cerrone to win: 4/6
Till to win: 6/5