UFC: Jack Hermansson in talks to fight Darren Till in UFC London main event

UFC middleweight Jack Hermansson has said he is in talks with the promotion about a clash with Darren Till at UFC London in March.

Liverpool’s Till has been expected to headline UFC London for some time and recently expressed interest in a fight with former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. However, Hermansson’s name arose this week as a potential opponent for former welterweight title challenger Till.

Speaking to The Independent, Hermansson said: “We’ve talked to the UFC about the fight and they have shown interest in it. They like it, I like it.

“Now people are starting to talk about Jared Cannonier fighting Whittaker, so maybe Till will be open to fight me.

“It is early (in the negotiations), but I’m really hoping that we can make this fight happen, because it would really determine who the best middleweight in Europe is. And I think it would be good for the fans to have that in London.”

Hermansson (20-5) last fought in the main event of UFC Denmark in September, when he was knocked out by Cannonier early in the second round. Heading into that contest, the Swede – who fights out of Norway – was riding a four-fight winning streak that included victories over ‘Jacare’ Souza and David Branch.

Hermansson is ranked as the No 6 middleweight in the UFC, while Liverpool’s Till (18-2) is ranked No 5.

Till’s last bout, which took place at UFC 244 in November, marked his first time competing at middleweight in the promotion and saw him defeat Kelvin Gastelum by split decision.

“Obviously I feel like in any fight where I end up on top on the ground, it’s going to be to my advantage,” Hermansson said about the potential contest with Till.

“I would make sure to have a very complete gameplan and I really would like to pressure him and do a lot of damage in the standup before I start to mix it up. I know that a lot of fighters in the division respect my ground game, but you saw some of my standup game in the ‘Jacare’ fight, and that’s something I would like to show a little bit more of.”

Hermansson said he believed the winner of a possible contest between Whittaker and Cannonier would likely be next in line for a middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya, while he or Till would probably need one more win after UFC London to reach that spot.

UFC London takes place at the O2 Arena on 21 March 2020.