LONDON – Jack Hermansson is not surprised that Darren Till withdrew from UFC Fight Night 208.
This is the second time Till has had to pull out of a fight against Hermansson (22-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) due to injury. Instead, Hermansson will meet Chris Curtis (29-8 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event, which takes place at The O2 in London. The card streams on ESPN+.
Hermansson says he had an inkling that Till wouldn’t make it to the fight, which is why he isn’t too fazed about the change in opponent.
“I kind of anticipated it through the whole camp,” Hermansson told MMA Junkie on Wednesday at a pre-fight news conference. “I don’t know why I just had a bad feeling about it. Maybe because the first time I wanted to fight him he declined the fight, second time he pulled from the fight, third time he didn’t even announce the fight himself. Couldn’t see any sign of him fighting and it just gave me a bad feeling about it. I kind of had it with me through the whole camp and to be honest, I wasn’t surprised.”
Hermansson draws rising contender Curtis, who has pulled off numerous upsets since joining the UFC roster. Curtis may not have the same name value or ranking as Till in the UFC, but Hermansson still views him as a formidable opponent.
“Chris is a great opponent,” Hermansson said. “He has a lot of experience, a lot of fights, a lot of wins, heavy hands, won all his fights in the UFC, eight-fight win streak, so I think he’s as good as it gets. He’s just one of those guys trying to climb into the rankings now and he’s right up there. He’s a great opponent.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.
Jack Hermansson had a ‘bad feeling’ Darren Till fight wouldn’t happen at UFC London
