“I think he’s a solid opponent,” Till said. “I know he trains hard, so I’m looking forward to the challenge. People are saying it’s like him looking up. I feel like I’m looking up. He’s the one that won his last fight. I feel like the challenger, not the other way around.”
In his fight week interview, Du Plessis mentioned how a striking battle is something he looks forward to on Saturday. Till expects that feeling to last no more than five minutes.
“I believe I’m one of the best strikers out there,” Till said. “The fans love when they see blood and punches and elbows getting thrown, and that’s what I bring.”
“We’ll see after the first round how he feels about [striking] when he starts shooting for double legs.”
Despite missing out on both London events this calendar year, Till can expect a hometown feel when he shares the main card of the final pay-per-view of the year with fellow Liverpool native and rising superstar Paddy Pimblett.
“I am what I am, aren’t I – one of the UFC’s superstars,” Till said. “Even the superstars have stints of going up and down, but I’ve got a big name. I’ve built a big name over the years in the UFC and it’s good to finally be back on the biggest stage possible. There’s no higher level. It doesn’t get any higher or more elite.
“I think it’s cool [to fight alongside Paddy] because back home they build us up like it’s a Scouse takeover. He’s in the co-main, I’m obviously buzzing for that. It’s gonna be a main card full of Scousers just running around causing mayhem.”
Mayhem is the best word to describe how the crowd will react if Till can get the job done on Saturday. But one win isn’t all he’s after; it’s only the first step of a journey back to prime form.
Having the gold belt within arm’s reach once before, Till’s driven to get back to that moment and prove that at his peak, he can be the best in the world.
“Become a millionaire and get the title,” Till joked when planning out an ideal 2023. “I just want to get past this first. I want to have a good end to the year, and I want to get back on the horse in January and get back out to Thailand.”
