Darren Till dismisses ankle injury, gives odds of fighting Jared Cannonier at UFC 248

Will Darren Till fight March 7 or not?

That’s the question many people wonder when looking over the UFC 248 card. In a recent interview, Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) spoke openly about the injury, a nagging ankle issue. He swiftly brushed off talk the injury was anything more than minor and indicated he’s hoping to fight soon.

“You know me – always niggles,” Till told Fight Disciples. “My ankle is just a bit niggly. It’s just a little floating injury I’ve always had. … I’m just training and working through it. I’m just training like I’ve got a fight at the moment. I trained right through Christmas. I’ve been training since my last fight, to be honest. I had a week or two off.

“Right up until this point I’ve been saying it: I’m ready to fight. If the call comes, I don’t have to cut too much weight. I’ll be 90 percent ready.”

Recently, Till and fellow middleweight contender Cannonier were reportedly linked in matchup discussions. However, UFC president Dana White indicated in a January interview the fight against Cannonier (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) was on hold because Till was injured.

While the UFC 248 lineup already has 13 fights, Till says there’s a 50 percent chance a fight versus Cannonier happens March 7.

“I think right now maybe 50/50,” Till said. “Openly, I know the UFC has been speaking to my manager and trying to sort out something – a good deal to get the fight going. All I can say to you – and I’m very honest – is I hope the fight comes off.

“I want to fight the best. I want to fight the scariest dudes. Cannonier is definitely one of them, so hopefully we can sort something (out). I want to get that title this year. I want to start cementing my name.”

UFC 248 takes place March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.