‘He’s even learning the language to face Khamzat’: Fans joke Darren Till in line to face Chimaev after Instagram post in Russian

UFC superstar Darren Till has sparked speculation that he could be seeking a fight with the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev after a Russia-themed Instagram post showing the English fighter wearing an ushanka hat.

Former welterweight title challenger Till remains without an upcoming opponent after being forced to withdraw from a scheduled December date with Jack Hermansson through injury, but with the Liverpool man expected to be hitting full fitness before long questions are being raised as to the identity of his next Octagon rival. 

Till, who is consistently one of the more entertaining UFC fighters on social media, clearly enjoys setting the wheels in motion on a rumor mill - and his latest Instagram offering, to some at least, suggests that he might be training his crosshairs on Chechen-born UFC sensation Chimaev. 

The picture shows Till wearing an ushanka, a hat with fur earflaps which have been prevalent in Russia for centuries.

Till captioned the photograph with a Russian quote which can be translated as "Day of rest" or "Day off".

One fan joked in the comments that the UFC joker should rename himself 'Darrilov Tillagomedov'. 

Another person doubled-down on the Chimaev link, writing: "Darren even learning the language to face Khamzat. My man getting ready 100 percent!"

Up until a few days ago, the undefeated Chimaev had been expected to fight another of England's top fighters, Leon Edwards, on "Fight Island" in Abu Dhabi on January 20 but revealed in recent days that a Covid-19 diagnosis had forced him out of the fight - the second such time that the coronavirus had interrupted a fight between the two highly-regarded welterweights.

If seems likely that the UFC will attempt to pair Edwards and Chimaev once more a little later this year - but one suspects that UFC matchmakers could be tempted to change course if both Till and Chimaev appear ready to go first. 

But for now, we wait.