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Credit: Cho Tang www.mmaplanet.nl

Darren Till cemented his status as a legitimate welterweight contender with a first-round TKO finish over veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in Gdansk, Poland.

Headlining the proceedings at the Ergo Arena on October 21, Cerrone’s dismissive approach towards Till quickly backfired as the Liverpudlian landed a right hand followed by a flurry of strikes to force the finish.

The end came at 4:20 of round one, acting as Till’s first stoppage since a May 2015 knockout of Wendell de Oliveira

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Till (15-0-1), emitted pressure from the first bell, stalking down Cerrone and despite a few decent takedown attempts by the “Cowboy,” it was 24-year-old Till in total control.  

Unranked prior to UFC Gdansk, Till will undoubtedly break into the top 15 following his splendid victory over 43 fight veteran Cerrone. 

Darren Till and Mike Perry almost clash following the main event

With a meticulous demeanor, the Team Kaobon fighter once again claimed his superiority during his post-fight speech, telling commentator Dan Hardy, “I believe I am the best fighter alive.”

However, just seconds later, only the confines of the UFC cage separated the Scouser from a bust-up with fellow welterweight Mike Perry.

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Both Till and Perry signaled that a fight with each other is bound to materialise with “Platinum” Perry even saying he would gladly fight Till in his hometown of Liverpool at the Echo Arena. 

Before that, although, Perry must first get past tricky Argentine Santiago Ponzinibbio on December 16 to book a tantalising showdown with Till early next year. 

Kowalkiewicz, Blachowicz and Piechota make it three-for-three for the Polish on the UFC Gdansk main card

In the UFC Gdansk co-main event, Karolina Kowalkiewicz got back on track with a unanimous decision victory over Jodie Esquibel.

After two consecutive losses against the strawweight division’s elite – including champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk – it was business as usual for the “Polish Princess” as she utilised her reach advantage to land combinations at will and control the fight. 

Esquibel quickly became predictable, dropping her head every time she tried to break the impregnable defense of Kowalkiewicz. Alas, the ex-Invicta FC talent was unable to offer anything of note against the former UFC title challenger. 

Fighting in front of her mother for the first time in the UFC, it was a pitch-perfect performance from the No.3 strawweight in the world, who will stake a claim for the next championship opportunity following Jędrzejczyk’s title defence against Rose Namajunas at UFC 207. 

The official scorecard saw all three judges award Kowalkiewicz the fight 30-27. 

Jan Blachowicz battled back after a slow start against Devin Clark to secure an audacious, rear-naked choke victory and claim his first victory since April 2016. 

The official time of the finish came at 3:02 of round two. 

Jackson-Wink prospect Clark started the fight strong, advancing in an aggressive manner against the Polish native. However, with Clark’s forceful style, he left his body open, which Blachowicz continually targetted with great success.   

After a brief pause in the second round due to an accidental eye-poke, the 34-year-old released a burst of energy, before fiercely clutching onto Clark’s neck to secure his first win in three. 

Opening up the main card at UFC Gdansk, Oskar Piechota (10-0-1) had a trio of chances to finish opponent Jonathan Wilson, but was unable to capitalise, instead winning by unanimous decision. 

Three 30-27 scores from the Octagonside judges, 27-year-old Piechota showed reptile-like ability in the first round, transitioning from a trip takedown to take the back of Wilson. He was unable to secure the rear-naked choke, but a pounding right hand in the second round once again showed his potential. 

The former Cage Warriors middleweight champion tried a last-ditch triangle choke, turned armbar in the dying seconds of round three, but once again, the resilience of Wilson was enough to deny the Polishman his 10th consecutive finish.