Dan Hardy: Darren Till can stop Tyron Woodley if he steps in

Darren Till is stronger than Tryon Woodley in terms of understanding and tools. Tyron Woodley is very dangerous in the stand-up lineup, but really because he has a very powerful right hand. The installation of the right hand is very similar each time he uses it. While if you watch Darren Till fight, he can use many different weapons. He is very good with his hands, great with his elbows and I think that the kick in the body will be the key to this fight. I think we are going further in Darren's diversity with respect to the strikes. The danger with this is that he presses and that Tyron is such a good wrestler, he will defend the grounding for the first two rounds.

Kicking…

Woodley would be happy if Till kicked a lot, but what we tend to find with Woodley is that he removes the low shots, but he blocks the kicks or kicks. I think that until Till throws too many shots in the leg, Woodley will choose to block the majority of them. Till is so quick to bring this leg back, and as he is left-handed and orthodox of Woodley, it leaves the open body side to start over. Because of the way Till kicks in, there's still the potential that when Woodley's level changes to get grounded, he'll meet Till's knee on the way. The low shots are the danger, more than anything. I'm waiting for Till to be taken by a kick or two. I do not think it worries you too much. I think he knows that as long as he makes Woodley work for 10 minutes, then he can start dictating the pace of the last three rounds.

Push back …

I almost think it will not be long. Looking at Woodley's last three fights, he did the same thing. He steps back on the fence and against his opponent, trying to close them. With Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, because Wonderboy is such a good striker, he really needs Woodley to take the initiative and attack first. Because Woodley was not there, there was a stalemate and Wonderboy knew that if he was going to take a step forward, he would meet a Woodley right hand, which happened in the first and the second fight later in the rounds. Demian Maia had to fight on the ground, but Woodley stayed behind and defended the grounding. The difference in this fight is yes. Till is a good counter-striker, but he is a proactive striker who will push Woodley against the fence. He will also test his guard all the time, which will force Woodley to do something, whether throwing his right hand or changing his level.

Game plan of Woodley …

I think Woodley will have to do something in this fight. You could not say that for his last three title defenses. He knew that he could stop Maia if he kept him standing and that he knew that as long as he kept Wonderboy on two fingers and was afraid to take his right hand, he could hold him back with the factor of intimidation. I think with Till being undefeated, being a young man who is very big for the weight class, I think he will be able to feel like the bully. He will feel able to push Woodley and force him to work. I do not think Woodley has been able to do that so far. I think that Till's psychological strength will be the key to this fight. But again, if Woodley catches up with him, we could still see a dead end where Till does not want to intervene and get caught by a clean shot.

Physical advantage for Till …

Till is the biggest fighter. When we saw them in front of the press conference, we could clearly say that Till was the biggest. Till is about 6ft, 6ft 1in. Woodley is around 5ft 9in. Their range is relatively the same but that's because Woodley has shoulders and long arms. There is not necessarily any benefit for Till, but I think Till is going to be a lot bigger. I also think that the way Till's weight is distributed makes it more effective for this weight class. Woodley is shorter and much more muscular. When you find that Woodley has put a lot of effort into a combination or combination of punches, you can see the pressure exerted on his cardiovascular systems. You can see it fade a bit and need time to recharge. While Till operates in a state of flow, his suits go away comfortably without much effort, which means he can maintain his cardio during rounds. I think that's the key, Till's ability to be the great man and to maintain relatively high performance.

A cardio benefit for Till …

I think the crucial turn will be the third. If we make a decision, then, as we have seen before, Woodley will still be successful. Woodley will stay back and he can remember how powerful he is, Till could stay back. That's what will bring us to a decision. Until you try to push the pace and force Woodley to work. That will either cause a knockout for Wood because Woodley will open to Till for the opportunity to finish him after being exhausted. Or Till will take a risk and walk on the right hand and we will have a stop. I think the first three rounds are crucial. Depending on how the first two rounds unfold, and how they are conditioned, I think Woodley will slow down in the third round. Then we'll start seeing Till come in strong and I think maybe in the fourth round, Till will catch Woodley with something.

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I'm not sure Woodley can maintain constant pressure for the duration of the fight. I think if he starts the fight with that kind of pressure, then he will faint quickly. I do not mind letting the fight breathe a little. When he is under pressure, when he defends dismantling, there is no real urgency to resume the fight in his favor. It allows people to work. When you have an opponent like Woodley, Till can let him work for a lap and a half. The impact this could have on Woodley's conditioning could almost get him that scorecard. I do not think Woodley will be able to maintain a pace, I think he'll start quite cautious. I think it will be Till that will go from the front. Woodley will invest in the punch or the occasional level change, but just to keep Till off for the moment until he discovers it.

At the feet or on the ground …

Woodley has not really used his fight defensively since joining the UFC. In total, during his fights at the UFC, he scored only five points. Three of them were against Carlos Condit and it was because he was under pressure. Until then he forces Woodley to use his fight because he will be under pressure. He might think this is his only option. I do not know if he can smother Till's attacks and work on the ground and beat to keep him on the ground. Because we've seen referees coming up the fighters a lot faster than normal. Even if Woodley throws punches, there are ways to escape so Till can get up. It's a fascinating contest. I really expect Woodley to use his fight, but I do not think it will be aggressive.

Can we become a champion …

I think he's got a great chance against Woodley. He is a better opponent for Woodley than the last two opponents of Tyron. Till is an aggressive Thai boxer with a lot of experience in the ring. He will be able to test Woodley and Woodley will not be able to rest in this fight. I think it's the biggest challenge for him because Woodley is a very, very powerful and explosive athlete and he relies on the bullying factor to stop people from calming him down. I do not think Till will give him that kind of respect. In recent interviews, Till said he was not worried about being knocked out and that he was not afraid of losing. If this is true, it will go from the front. After Woodley throws three or four straight hands into a ride, he really starts to slow down. I know we've seen Woodley go round in his last three fights, but the last two rounds of these fights have seen fans booed because the pace was so slow. I do not think Woodley can get away with Till.

Under pressure…

Till does well under pressure and that's partly due to his age. He is a young man and he has not tasted defeat. There is no reason to feel discouraged. All the guys he's been fighting so far, even those who should have been a tough test for him like Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone and Wonderboy, he saw them quite easily. Wonderboy's fight was very tactical, but at no time was Till in trouble. And Cowboy's fight was completely one-sided. Up to a very good place psychologically. And the amount of support that he receives from Liverpudlians is an important factor. That's almost what Conor McGregor has with Irish fans. There will be many people who will support Till, making a lot of noise and that alone will charge him.

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