UFC London results: Jorge Masvidal devastates Darren Till with crushing KO
LONDON – Jorge Masvidal (33-13 MMA, 10-6 UFC) started a bit slow but delivered when it mattered most, scoring a highlight-reel finish of Darren Till (17-2-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC).
The welterweight bout was the main event of today’s UFC on ESPN+ 5 show at The O2 in London. It streamed on ESPN+.
The bout opened in incredibly odd fashion, with Masvidal rushing forward and firing a stomping kick that landed directly in the groin. Masvidal immediately apologized, and Till took only a brief break. On the restart, Till landed a clean left hand that sent Masvidal to the floor. Till rushed forward to finish, but Masvidal bucked and rolled and made his way back to his feet.
Till caught a kick shortly after, dragging Masvidal to the canvas. However, once there, Masvidal was able to get his feet inside and kick Till away, moving back to the standup department once more. Once there, Masvidal landed a big kick to the body, then came up short on a takedown.
Till was confident in the center, and he landed a few more straight left hands that Masvidal absorbed with little issue. Fighting with his back to the fence, Masvidal returned fire but was taking some shots to give his own.
Moving back to the center, Masvidal found a few openings on the feet, but Till’s left hand was certainly the most dangerous weapon deployed, and he started added hooks and uppercuts to the straight shots, as well.
Till moved forward quickly in the second and rifled out a few jabs before bringing the straight left behind it. Masvidal answered back with powerful hooks, but a Till eyepoke forced a brief stop in the action. On the restart, Masvidal scored an immediate takedown and nearly was able to take the back before Till could get upright and use the fence to peel away the threat.
Till continued to hold the center as the round unfolded. He was measured with his attacks, and for good reason, as Masvidal was delivering heavy counters when possible. Eventually, Masvidal was able to push free, and a huge left hand over the top sent Till crashing to the floor. Another landed on the way down, and Masvidal pounced to finish off the job, though the work was already done, and Till was out cold at the 3:05 mark of the second.
“I love the fight,” Masvidal said after the win. “It’s a cherry on top that I got the victory, but it’s the fight that I really love. I’ve been fighting as long as I can remember. I come from a very humble background, but I keep doing what I do. I got dropped in the first, and that made me wake up. I wanted to get him back immediately. I love the scrap – Darren is so tough. Before I dropped him, I hit him with some bombs and the dude just smiled at me like I do to other people. The kid is headed far – he is going places for sure.
“I want to fight for the belt. Darren only has one loss, and that is to the champion. I’ve got a huge body of work in this division and this corporation. It’s my time, and I need that belt.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 5 results include:
Jorge Masvidal def. Darren Till via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:05 Leon Edwards def. Gunnar Nelson via split decision (28-29, 29-27, 29-28) Dominick Reyes def. Volkan Oezdemir via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Nathaniel Wood def. Jose Quinonez via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:46 Claudio Silva def. Danny Roberts via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 3, 3:37 Jack Marshman def. John Phillips via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Arnold Allen def. Jordan Rinaldi via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28) Marc Diakiese def. Joe Duffy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Saparbek Safarov def. Nico Negumereanu via unanimous decision (29-26, 29-26, 29-27) Dan Ige def. Danny Henry via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:17 Molly McCann def. Priscila Cachoeira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29- Mike Grundy def. Nad Narimani via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:42For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 5, check out the UFC Events section of the site.