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Till willing to fight Cannonier on short notice, 'hopeful' deal gets done

Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC / UFC / Getty

Darren Till is available to fight Jared Cannonier on short notice at UFC 248 on March 7 in Las Vegas, the middleweight contender told MMA journalist Jim Edwards on Wednesday.

"When I heard (Robert Whittaker) was injured, I was already working hard in the gym, so we upped a bit knowing I could get the call for March 7," Till said. "I've had a few little niggles as always, but I'm still willing and able."

Cannonier was initially scheduled to face Whittaker at the March pay-per-view showcase, but the former UFC champion fell out of the contest due to personal reasons.

UFC president Dana White confirmed last week that Till's next fight was in the works and would be against "one of the top guys" in the division. White's announcement came on the same day Whittaker pulled out of his fight with Cannonier, prompting immediate speculation that Till would fill in.

White later said Till had suffered an ankle injury and was unlikely to step up at UFC 248, but Till told Edwards it's just a matter of finalizing the fight.

"My management haven't got the right deal yet, but I'm hopeful we can still make it happen," the Englishman said. "Mark my words, I'm scared of no one."

A former welterweight title challenger, Till moved up to 185 pounds in his last fight and defeated Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 in November. He's ranked No. 5 in the weight class.

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero will headline UFC 248 in a title bout, while strawweight champ Zhang Weili will meet Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-feature.

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