Could we see Ben Askren fight Darren Till next?
Askren called out the welterweight last week, with Till responding in a creative way that essentially means no, I think:
However, their little interaction online would turn into a bit of a confrontation during a fan Q&A before UFC London’s ceremonial weigh-ins. Till is scheduled to fight Jorge Masvidal in the main event of the fight night event and Askren was there answering questions for the crowd.
The fireworks between the two started when Askren was questioned on a rematch with Robbie Lawler, who the welterweight defeated in a controversial manner at UFC 235:
“I don’t think I want to do it,” the former Bellator champion told the crowd inside The O2 Arena.
“I want to fight Darren Till. He’s right back there.”
After the crowd booed Askren a bit for his response, he predicted that a match-up against Till would
“go really well” for himself. Moments later, Till rushed out from behind the stage curtain with his middle fingers raised high, yelling
“F*ck Ben Askren!”.
The undefeated welterweight responded by leading the crowd to chant for Darren Till, who then made one last comment before moving on to the next question:
“You guys see his new teeth?” Askren said of Till.
“They look nice. I need to go wherever he went to get some new shiny ones.”
During the weigh-ins, Till responded to Askren’s challenge and made it clear that his focus was Jorge Masvidal and another shot at the welterweight title in the future:
"Askren’s fight comes, but Askren’s been in the UFC five minutes. It’s not about what he wants. It’s about what I want. I’m here, I’m No. 3. Seventh fight, fourth main event. I call the shots, not Ben. And the champ will be calling the shots, so we’ll see. I know the champ wants to fight me. I’ve spoken about it with him face-to-face. So, all goes well for me Saturday, I’m praying and hoping, and then I want to campaign for that title shot.”