Till vs Vettori official in Middleweight clash

TOP MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDERS (#4) DARREN TILL AND (#5) MARVIN VETTORI TO HEADLINE PRIME TIME UFC^® EVENT

FEATURED BOUTS:

(#10) SODIQ YUSUFF vs. (#11) ARNOLD ALLEN

HUNTER AZURE vs. JACK SHORE

London, UK – Saturday, April 10, will see a thrilling middleweight contenders’ bout aired in prime time for the European market as two top contenders from the region come head-to-head. Britain’s No. 4 rankedDarren Till will take on Italy’s No. 5 Marvin Vettori. Streaking featherweight contenders also collide in the co-main event, as No. 10 ranked contender Sodiq Yusuff meets No. 11 Arnold Allen. Elsewhere on the card Hunter Azure takes on Welshman Jack Shore in the bantamweight division.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT^®: TILL vs. VETTORI will take place Saturday, April 10. The main card will air live on BT Sport in the UK at 8 p.m. BST, with the late prelims starting at 6pm and early prelims from 5 p.m on UFC Fight Pass.

Former welterweight title challenger Till (18-3-1, fighting out of Liverpool, England) immediately made waves in the UFC’s stacked middleweight division by earning an impressive victory over Kelvin Gastelum in 2019. Throughout his UFC run, he has also delivered memorable wins against former UFC title challengers Stephen Thompson and Donald Cerrone. Till now has his sights set on stopping the momentum of Vettori to defend his spot within the middleweight top five.

Vettori (16-4-1, fighting out of Mezzocorona, Italy) staked his claim as a legitimate title threat by winning an entertaining decision over Jack Hermansson in his first UFC main event. The talented grappler and striker has also secured thrilling victories against Karl Roberson, Andrew Sanchez and Cezar Ferreira. Vettori now aims to pick up his fifth consecutive win in emphatic fashion to continue his ascent up the middleweight ladder.

Yusuff (11-1, fighting out of Bladensburg, Md. by way of Lagos, Nigeria) returns to the Octagon for the first time since earning an exciting victory over Andre Fili in January 2020. Currently riding a six-fight win streak, he has also netted impressive wins against Gabriel Benitez, Sheymon Moraes and Mike Davis. Yusuff now looks to continue his unbeaten run and staking his claim as a future title challenger by becoming the first fighter to finish Allen.

Allen (16-1, fighting out of Trimley St. Martin, Suffolk, England) also makes his first UFC appearance since January 2020, when he secured an entertaining win over fan favourite Nik Lentz. Victorious in nine consecutive outings, Allen also owns wins against former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez, Mads Burnell and Makwan Amirkhani. Allen now hopes to push his win streak to double digits by becoming the first fighter to take out Yusuff in the UFC.

Azure (9-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Arizona) steps into the Octagon for the first time in seven months since beating Cole Smith last September by unanimous decision. Azure has fought three times in the UFC, winning twice and losing once to Brian Kelleher. With a commanding pro MMA record he will be looking to make a statement to the division against an undefeated opponent.

Shore (13-0, fighting out of Abertillery, Wales) boasts a clean record to date, with wins against the likes of Aaron Phillips and Nohelin Hernandez under his belt. The Cage Warriors graduate hasn’t fought since July last year and will be determined to resume winning ways on his rise through the rankings.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Dana White’s Contender Series signees battle when Kyle Daukaus (10-1, fighting out of Philadelphia, Penn.) faces undefeatedAliaskhab Khizriev (13-0, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia)
• Canadian veteran John Makdessi (17-7, fighting out of Montreal, Canada) makes his 18^thUFC appearance against Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner Ignacio Bahamondes (11-3, fighting out of Chicago, Ill. by way of Santiago, Chile) in a lightweight bout
• Mike Perry (14-7, fighting out of Orlando, Fla.) hopes to secure a vintage KO when he takes onDaniel Rodriguez (13-2, fighting out of Alhambra, Calif.) at welterweight
• Dana White’s Contender Series contract earner Luis Saldana (14-6, fighting out of Scottsdale Ariz.) debuts against Jordan Griffin (18-8, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) in a featherweight bout
• Undefeated women’s bantamweight Bea Malecki (4-0, fighting out of Stockholm, Sweden) returns against Norma Dumont (5-1, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil)
• Yorgan De Castro (6-2, Fall River, Mass.) squares off with Jarjis Danho (6-1-1 1NC, fighting out of Nuremberg, Germany) in a battle of heavyweight finishers
• Da-un Jung (13-2-1, fighting out of Seoul, South Korea) looks to extend his unbeaten run to 14 bouts when he faces Shamil Gamzatov (14-0, fighting out of Makhachkala, Russia) at light heavyweight
• Scott Holtzman (14-4, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) hopes to return to his winning ways when he squares off with Mateusz Gamrot (17-1 1NC, fighting out of Poznan, Poland) in a lightweight bout
• Dana White’s Contender Series middleweight signee Impa Kasanganay (8-1, fighting out of Gastonia, N.C.) looks for a show-stealing performance against Sasha Palatnikov (6-2, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada by way of Hong Kong)
• Lightweight legend Jim Miller (32-15 1NC, fighting out of Sparta, N.J.) makes his record-setting 37^th UFC appearance against Joe Solecki (10-2, fighting out of Wilmington, N.C.)