Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Condit vs. Alves’

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WELTERWEIGHTS

Wendell de Oliveira Marques (24-8, 0-1 UFC) vs. Darren Till (12-0, 0-0 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Once again, T.J. Waldburger dropped out of this matchup, and Englishman-in-Brazil Till steps up on short notice to replace him against the big-punching Marques. The Brazilian dropped his UFC debut to Santiago Ponzinibbio and needs a win here to stay in the promotion. Till, a former muay Thai competitor, is only 22 years old and has real upside, though his level of competition has thus far been subpar.

Marques is a bricked-up physical specimen with great athleticism and big power. He is a striker by preference and a reasonably skilled one. He has quick hands and throws hard combinations, and he fills the gaps between them with whipping low kicks. His counters are especially dangerous, and he does not hesitate to plant his feet and throw leather in the pocket when pressured. He is a bit hittable, however, and could stand to work at a faster pace. Nobody will confuse Oliveira with an All-American wrestler, but he is solid defensively and can hit the occasional high-amplitude takedown of his own. If the fight hits the mat, he is mostly content to throw strikes from the top and control.

While he still has a great deal to learn, there is a lot to like about Till’s game at this point. He is essentially a southpaw striker who relies heavily on his crushing left kick to the legs and especially the body, but he also mixes in the occasional right low kick, straight left or 1-2. He takes clean angles and does an excellent job of reestablishing distance after he throws, which makes it difficult to crowd him in the pocket. With that said, his defense is lacking, and offensive output is a problem: He often falls into a slow pace where he simply waits for his opponent. His takedown defense is solid but relies heavily on his athleticism, and grappling is not his strong suit.

THE PICK: This should be fun, as both Marques and Till are likely to bang it out on the feet. In that scenario, this looks like a close matchup that will pit Till’s rangy kicking game against Marques’ vicious counterpunching combinations. At this stage in their respective careers, I lean slightly toward the latter, as Till is hittable when he throws and lacks much in the way of ancillary skills. The pick is Marques by decision.

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