UFC Gdansk video recap: Underdog Darren Till stops Donald Cerrone in first round

In the UFC Fight Night 118 main event, rising star Darren Till upset longtime contender Donald Cerrone via first-round TKO.

Darren Till made a name for himself at UFC Fight Night 118.

In the Liverpool native’s first promotional main event and the biggest fight of his career, he faced longtime contender Donald Cerrone at Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland on Saturday afternoon. Till was the betting underdog against the mixed martial arts veteran, but he proved “Cowboy” supporters wrong by knocking the Jackson-Wink MMA fighter out in the first round.

Till pressured Cerrone right from the opening bell, and his odd stance and striking style worked well against his opponent. Till consistently landed shots on Cerrone throughout the first round, and in the last minute of the opening frame, Till landed a pair of left hands that badly staggered Cerrone. “Cowboy” covered up, and Till landed several punches to his head, forcing the referee to intervene.

What was the highlight of the fight?

Till’s sudden jump from rising prospect to legitimate contender was the highlight of his win over Cerrone; all it took was a devastating win over the No. 6-ranked welterweight. But even more impressive was how much improved Till looked in the Gdansk headliner, even just compared to his September win over Bojan Velickovic in which his opponent took him all three rounds. Prior to that, Till scored an underwhelming win over Jessin Ayari, who doesn’t compare to Cerrone in skill. Sometimes fighters make drastic improvements in almost no time at all, and I think that’s what we saw when Till finished Cerrone.

Where do these two go from here?

Till should now be considered a 170-pound contender, and in the Cerrone victory, he leapfrogged many fighters ranked in the top 15. He is still only 24 years old, but because he is a fresh face in the division with a personality that could attract a wide audience, don’t be surprised if he’s put in another big fight. If Robbie Lawler vs. Rafael dos Anjos will in fact declare the next title challenger, a fight against the Stephen Thompson vs. Jorge Masvidal winner wouldn’t be a bad next option.

On the other hand, Cerrone’s physical decline is pretty evident. He has always been a fighter willing to fight anyone anytime, and fighting so often has perhaps finally caught up to him. Following a four-fight winning streak in 2016, Cerrone is 0-3 in 2017, with losses to Masvidal, Lawler, and now Till. He’ll never get back to title contention, and he can’t take a punch very well anymore. At this point, it seems like it’s almost time for Cerrone to hang his gloves up, but knowing him, that won’t happen for another few years.

Watch now, later, or never?

A future star might have just been born on Saturday. Unless you love Cerrone more than anything, I would watch Till’s victory over him right away.