UFC Fight Night 109 results: Darren Till puts on striking clinic, cruises to win over Jessin Ayari

STOCKHOLM – Darren Till’s upright, relaxed stance concealed an explosive striking attack against Jessin Ayari, whose toughness was repeatedly tested over three rounds.

Till (14-0-1 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) threatened to end the fight on several occasions, hurting Ayari (16-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) with well-placed left hands. Ayari survived to the final bell but ended up well behind on the scorecards.

The welterweight fight closed today’s UFC Fight Night 109 early prelims at Ericsson Globe in Stockholm. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass prior to the FS1 prelims and main card.

The final scorecards were 30-27 twice and 29-27 for Till, who remains unbeaten and picks up his second UFC win following a majority draw against Nicholas Dalby. Ayala sees a seven-fight streak, including a UFC debut win over Jim Wallhead, end with the loss.

Till’s straight left produced the first meaningful blow of the fight, prompting Ayala to try and muscle his way in. The strategy would end up playing directly into Till’s hand, providing an easy target when he charged forward with wild overhand rights. Another heavy shot left him reeling backward, and head kicks further rattled his brain.

Till employed the same counter in the middle frame, this time knocking Ayala to the ground as he took another left. Till may have gotten a little too eager to finish, though, because he nearly gave up an arm as Ayala twice got into position for a submission. Forced to regroup, Till picked his shots and racked up some ground and pound. Ayala kicked him off and looked for better luck. But back on the feet, another left hand put him back on the mat.

With both men well aware of their options, and spent from two rounds of consistent action, neither fully committed to the finish in the final frame. Till sat back and went into sparring mode, looking for left hands, while Ayala continued to charge in and make the fight into a brawl, his best chance for undoing Till’s previous work. He ran out of time, giving judges the easy work of awarding Till the fight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 109 results include:

• Darren Till def. Jessin Ayari via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27)
• Damir Hadzovic def. Marcin Held via knockout (knee) – Round 3, 0:07

For more on UFC Fight Night 109, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Stockholm.)