The UFC is heading to Liverpool for a solid Fight Night card this weekend headlined by hometown prospect Darren Till taking on the elite veteran Wonderboy Thompson. This is a fight that I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced and is one of the better Fight Night headliners we will see.
The card is taking place in prime time in England, which means it is taking place in the morning/afternoon here in Canada. It’s a Sunday card that begins at 9:30am EST on Fight Pass, and moves to the Fight Network for the prelims at 11am and then to TSN 5 for the main card at 1pm. The Wonderboy vs Till fight will likely take place around 3:30pm.
I have three plays on this card which you can check out below. I’m using the best odds available at any of our top rated betting sites for Canadians.
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Stephen Thompson vs Darren Till
This is a fight I’m really looking forward to. The young prospect who has yet to taste defeat against the veteran who has proven himself an elite fighter, but is trying to stay at the top to earn himself another shot at the belt. Both Till and Thompson are primarily stand up fighters, and Wonderboy has very solid takedown defense, so I expect most of this fight to take place on the feet.
I think Till is a legitimate high end prospect in the welterweight division, but I think this fight is taking off a bit more than he can chew. Yes, he destroyed Donald Cerrone his last time out, but Cerrone is really a lightweight taking fights at welterweight because he can still beat the lower level (unranked) fighters in that division. The loss to Till was Cerrone’s third straight loss and even though Cerrone got back in the win column with a TKO of Yancy Medeiros his last time out, I think his days as a ranked fighter in the welterweight division are numbered.
Before that Cerrone fight, Till had gone 2-0-1 in his previous three fights with no finishes. So yes, he does have a lot of punching power, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into finishes at this level. Till was simply too big for Cerrone, who could not handle the pressure and power punches and eventually caved. Wonderboy is also a big welterweight and he will be able to use his footwork to easily escape the pressure and land counter strikes of his own.
In a purely striking match in MMA, Wonderboy is the best there is. He can find angles, lure opponents into bad positions on the feet, and has the athleticism and technique to land some devastating blows. He also is a great point fighter on the feet and if this fight does go the distance, I can’t see Till winning. Woodley basically never engaged against Wonderboy, while also possessing the best power takedown in the division and he still basically tied Wonderboy twice. In my opinion Wonderboy is the best fighter at welterweight and I expect him to be able to use Till’s aggression against him to pick him apart on the feet and win a one-sided decision.
Play: Thompson 1.59
Neil Magny vs Craig White
As high I am on Wonderboy, I’m basically just as low on Neil Magny. I think he is easily the worst fighter ranked in the top 15 at welterweight. I had Gunnar Nelson beating him easily, so I was disappointed when Nelson had to pull out due to injury. That said, in steps Craig White in basically the best short notice spot he could ask for. Here he is fighting the most overrated fighter in the division on his home soil with a chance to really make a statement in his first UFC fight.
We already established I like to fade Magny. That said though, White still has to have the weapons to compete and I think he does. White is 4-0 since dropping down to welterweight in Cage Warriors and he has finished each of those fights. Even at middleweight White’s two losses within the past 6 years were to Oskar Piechota, who is now 2-0 in the UFC, and Mike Shipman who is 3-0 in Bellator. They aren’t horrible losses and he’s shown the offense to finish some very tough guys.
White is about as live a dog as they come here against Magny and I think there is definite value in this line.
Play: White 5.10 @ SportsInteraction.com
Jason Knight vs Makwan Amirkhani
Amirkhani hasn’t fought since a tight split decision loss to highly touted prospect Arnold Allen in March of 2017 and before that he was 3-0 in the UFC. Knight, on the other hand, is on a two fight skid after putting together a very impressive 4 fight win streak over Alers, Hooker, Caceres and Skelly in the UFC. Knight is a very tough guy with a tricky rubber guard and solid submission skills, and those attributes were able to get him some big wins, but I have a feeling the book is out on Knight after his two recent losses.
Lamas was able to KO Knight very quickly and then Benitez destroyed Knight for 15 minutes to a 30-26 unanimous decision. I expect Amirkhani to be able to get this fight to the mat and if he can deal with the rubber guard, which he should be practicing, I think he will be able to do some damage on the mat and pull out a decision win here.
Play: Amirkhani 2.30 @ SportsInteraction.com
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