Jared Cannonier and Darren Till have more than one thing in common.
The two 185-pound contenders are both eyeing a shot at the UFC middleweight title and could potentially be as little as one win away from earning the chance to fight for the gold. They also share similar primate-based fighter nicknames.
“The Killa Gorilla” Cannonier (13-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and “The Gorilla” Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) were linked to a potential No. 1 contender fight at UFC 248, but visa issues for Till and an injury to Cannonier meant their mooted matchup never came to fruition.
That’s not to say Cannonier isn’t keen on meeting Till inside the octagon further down the line, though. Just don’t suggest that he puts his nickname on the line in some sort of Highlander-esque “there can be only one” challenge, as Till had previously hinted on social media.
“I think I was ‘The Killa Gorilla’ before he was ‘The Gorilla,’ so he can kiss my ass about changing names and stuff like that,” Cannonier told Submission Radio.
“Like I said, if he needs that for motivation, he can have that. He can do that himself, play out the scenario however he needs to. But at the end of the day, a fight’s a fight, names are just words. So, what we’re fighting for is something bigger than the name, I feel. We’re trying to get that title, we’re trying to cement whatever name I choose for you to call me. Cement that there in legacy or history.
“Darren, he be on the social media, posting ‘Jared?’ I guess I don’t know what that means, ‘Jared question mark.’ What? What’s the question? Like, do I want to fight? I already said yes. So, now you’re gonna have to wait.”
Cannonier is more than happy to fight Till, but he made abundantly clear that he has no time for the Englishman’s social media shenanigans.
“Darren likes to troll people,” he said. “That’s what the kids are doing nowadays on social media: They’re trolling everybody, just doing something completely ignorant and stupid, saying whatever comes to mind, which is usually something stupid or ignorant to get a rise out of people, a reaction out of people. But I’m a grown-ass man, and I’m gonna sit here and laugh at the dumb (expletive) and acknowledge the real (expletive). So, you won’t see me acknowledging any of that dumb (expletive).”
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Jared Cannonier: Darren Till can 'kiss my ass' if he thinks I'm putting my nickname on the line