The cancellation of Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan was gutting news for fight fans, let alone professional fighters who were amped to see elite MMA.
Renato Moicano has stepped in to fight Makhachev at UFC 311, but no fight could fill the boots of Tsarukyan vs. Makhachev. England’s Darren Till enjoyed success in the boxing ring on January 18, the same night as UFC 311, and he shares that sentiment.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Till holds out hope that his former training partner Tsarukyan can make a comeback.
Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images
Speaking to Seconds Out after his victory over Anthony Taylor at Misfits Boxing, Till provided his honest reaction to Makhachev-Tsarukyan being cancelled. ‘The Gorilla’ trained with Tsarukyan in Thailand and backs him to win a potential rebooking with Makhachev.
“It’s broke my heart,” Till said. “It’s my favorite fight, I was looking forward to it. . . . I trained with Arman when I was in Thailand. . . . I think it’s the highest level of MMA that’s ever gonna happen. . . . I’m gonna back Arman [to win the rematch]. I train with him, I think he can beat Islam.”
Before the UFC can consider rebooking Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan, Makhachev must first defeat Moicano. As a colossal favorite, the bookmakers almost guarantee a Makhachev victory, and the statistics support this prediction too.
Although Moicano poses a significant submission threat to Makhachev on just 24 hours’ notice, fighters in his age group have historically struggled to win title fights. At 35 years old, Moicano belongs to a group of fighters who have never claimed a championship title.
In weight classes below welterweight, fighters aged 35 or older have not succeeded in title bouts. If Moicano manages to pull off an upset, he will become the oldest lightweight champion in the history of the UFC.
This ‘curse’ has befallen fighters such as Alexander Volkanovski (vs. Makhachev & Topuria), Kamaru Usman (vs. Edwards x2), and Michael Chandler (vs. Charles Oliveira), to name a few.
Arman TsarukyanDarren TillIslam MakhachevMMAUFCUFC 311
