UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori is set to have his biggest fight to date. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that Vettori is close to finalizing a fight against Darren Till for a UFC Fight Night on April 10th. The location for the event has yet to be determined. Okamoto also reports that the fight is expected to be the main event.
Vettori has quickly become a contender in the middleweight division. Vettori was once unable to get a fight against a ranked opponent. When Till was forced out of his fight against Jack Hermansson at UFC on ESPN 19 on December 5, 2020, at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, Vettori stepped in. Vettori dominated Hermansson to a unanimous decision victory. The win pushed Vettori to fifth spot in the middleweight rankings. A win over Till makes Vettori a strong case to be next to fight for the UFC middleweight championship.
Till will look to progress in the middleweight division after recovering from a torn ACL injury. The injury occurred in his loss against former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 14 on July 26, 2020, at the du Forum arena at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. If Till would’ve defeated Whittaker, he could’ve been the next challenger for the middleweight championship. Till is ranked fourth in the division and is two wins away from possibly fighting for the championship. A win over Vettori sets up another opportunity to fight for the number one contender’s spot.