When it was announced that Darren Till is going to throw hands with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244, more than a few people expressed their surprise and or concern. But, the Liverpool star’s outlined why he couldn’t walk away from the chance to face the hard hitting middleweight.

Till’s move to middleweight

It wasn’t long into Till’s UFC run when many observers and fans started wondering if a move to middleweight might come. After all, Till was a massive welterweight and after he missed weight by several pounds for his 218 bout with Stephen Thompson, calls for the move began.

Till acknowledged that he would likely jump up to middleweight at some juncture, and following his KO loss to Jorge Masvidal in March, the 26 year-old decided to make the move.

Till vs. Gastelum

But, since Till is coming off back-to-back losses, and because he’s new to the 185 division, the news he’s going to face Gastelum on November 2nd turned heads. After all, Gastelum is ranked #4 in the UFC’s middleweight ranks, and he hits like a truck.

Well, recently Till spoke with BT Sports, and while discussing his decision to fight Gastelum, he said this (quote via MMA Fighting):

“I didn’t even know what I was gonna do,” Till said. “I was in two minds and then Kelvin sorta called me out on Twitter and I was like listen, it’s sort of that stupid cliche saying, ‘Go big or go home.’ In my eyes, one of the chance to fight one of the best in the division. He’s a dog, he’s a dog, he’s a Mexican dog. So tough, so durable. I can’t turn down challenges like that.”

You have to admire Till for this mindset, even if you think he should have agreed to fight a lower ranked middleweight next. The comments are also interesting, as Till admitted that the devastating loss to Masvidal administered a hit to his confidence.

“All my life I’ve had this crazy confidence that I’m just this superhuman being inside that Octagon and in life and it got knocked a bit,” Till said. “I’m not ashamed to say that. I want to get that back. It’s there. I’m still that confident guy that if you put me in front of everyone, I know I can beat them. I know there’s something in me that can beat everyone. I’ve got that technique and I’ve got that will. It got lost a bit after the fight, so I just had to find it. That’s why maybe it’s took a little bit longer to come back.”

So, we’ll see what happens at UFC 244. There’s no question it’s a very intriguing match-up. If Till does win, he won’t be far out from the title shot mix.

The November 2nd card will be hosted by the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City.