Last week, the UFC finally announced that Stephen Thompson would be taking on rising welterweight contender Darren Till when the UFC heads to Liverpool on May 27. The bout had been rumored to be in the works for months and was, at one point, even considered for the main event of UFC London but Thompson was holding out hope for a more highly ranked contender, namely former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. Now though, Thompson is taking on the Liverpudlian in his own backyard, though he isn’t all that impressed with Till’s previous performances.

And he’s not the only one. According to Till, after the fight was made official, a majority of the fan reaction has been negative towards him.

“Mate, I can tell you right now that 90% of people can’t wait for me to lose on May 27 to Wonderboy,” said Till told MMAnytt. “They want the so-called hype train to stop. I can’t tell you how many happy faces there are going to be if I get beat, but do you think I give a f**k about them? I couldn’t give a f**k about what anyone thinks, what my Mum thinks, what anyone [thinks].

“I’m putting in the hard work and putting my body through pain and pressure, so if people want to see me lose, okay. If people want to see me win, okay. It doesn’t matter as long as they tune in to see an absolute war.”

The undefeated 25-year-old prospect made his UFC debut in 2015 and has gone on to amass a 4-0-1 record in the organization. His breakout performance came in October when he demolished Donald Cerrone in four minutes in the main event of UFC Gdansk. That win rocketed Till up the rankings and into the title conversation at 170 pounds and he thinks a win over a former two-time welterweight title challenger like Thompson could put him next in line for a shot at the strap.

“Wonderboy has beaten everyone, so if I beat him, obviously it looks like I’m in line for a title shot, but I’m not really bothered if the UFC book it or they don’t,” Till said.

“There are other guys that deserve it before me, so I just want to beat Wonderboy and let the welterweight division take it’s course because sooner or later I know it’s going to end up with me having the belt.”

It’s a good thing Till isn’t in a rush because the welterweight division title picture is pretty crowded at the moment. Champion Tyron Woodley is currently still recovering from an injury, though he has said he would be ready to return this summer. When he does come back, he will likely face the winner of UFC 224’s interim title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington. And while all of this is going on, the two men with the longest win streaks in the UFC welterweight division, Kamaru Usman and Santiago Ponzinibbio, will be facing off in the main event of UFC Chile.

Till is fine with this backlog though, saying that after Thompson he would like to face one of those guys to cement himself as the best in the world and as the next one up for a title shot.

“When I beat Wonderboy I feel like I want to take on Colby, Usman, RDA, Masvidal, one of those guys,” Till said. “When I beat Wonderboy, those are the guys that I’m looking at next.

“All the guys I’ve called out are real, hard guys. At the end of the day, in order to be the best in the world, you have to fight the best. Those guy are the best so they’re all in my sights. They’ve got a target on their back.”

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MUST-READ STORIES

Video. Artem Lobov and Khabib Nurmagomedov got into a hotel confrontation.

Belts. Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington for interim welterweight title set for UFC 224.

Uh oh. George Lockhart: Max Holloway’s UFC 223 weight cut will be ‘tied’ for biggest I’ve ever done.

GSP. Stephen Thompson ‘not that impressed’ by Darren Till.

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VIDEO STEW

The MMA After Hour.

Embedded 2.

BJJ is always must watch stuff.

In honor of her recently announced fight, Macfarlane’s title winning fight with Emily Ducote.

Episode 2 of Khabib’s training.

Ronda wrasslin’.

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LISTEN UP

UFC Unfiltered. Khabib Nurmagomedov joins to discuss Max Holloway.

The Co Main Event. Discussing UFC 223 and the last minute replacement title fight.

The MMA Circus. Previewing UFC 223.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Tony not having any of this nonsense.

Khabib rolls deep.

If Max wins it would be a pretty huge upset but not this big.

Because human bodies are complex.

Matt Brown.

Perry on the Condit news.

Cool stuff from Bellator.

LeBanner’s nose is something else.

Looking to get back after it.

Chuck-Tito 3 incoming.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Carlos Condit (30-11) vs. Alex Oliveira (18-4-1, 2 NC); April 14.

Rafael dos Anjos (28-9) vs. Colby Covington (13-1); UFC 224, May 12.

Aaron Pico (2-1) vs. Lee Morrison (18-8); Bellator 199, May 12.

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (7-0) vs. Alejandra Lara (7-1); Bellator 201, June 29.

Valerie Letourneau (9-6) vs. Bruna Ellen (4-1); Bellator 201, June 29.

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TODAY IN MMA HISTORY

2006: Rich Franklin successfully defended his middleweight title, winning a unanimous decision over David Loiseau at UFC 58. This event also featured a welterweight title eliminator between Georges St-Pierre and B.J. Penn that St-Pierre edged out with a split decision.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Take it easy and see y’all tomorrow.

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