Darren Till is thankful Stephen Thompson agreed to fight him in May’s UFC Fight Night 130 headliner. However, he insists the former UFC title challenger has made a grave error in judgement.

After pleading for a big-name opponent, Till (16-0-1 MMA, 4-0-1 UFC) will get the opportunity he’d wanted against Thompson (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC). Their welterweight bout headlines UFC Fight Night 130 on May 27, which will go down at Echo Arena in Till’s hometown of Liverpool, England, and air on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Till said he’s aware some believe the matchup is too much, too soon. Outside of an early career loss to Matt Brown, “Wonderboy” has only experienced UFC setbacks in championship bouts with reigning 170-pound king Tyron Woodley (18-3-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC), and Till simply has yet to realize that level of competition.

The Brit has absolutely no doubt he’s ready for everything Thompson brings to the table, though. Till said he’s been prepared for the top names in the weight class for quite some time, and now that he got arguably the best one outside of the champion, he’s ready to exhibit exactly where he stands.

“All the tough fights against the (Rafael) dos Anjos, Colby (Covington), (Kamaru) Usman, (Santiago) Ponzinibbio, (Demian) Maia and (Jorge) Masvidal – if I can’t fight them and beat them, then I’m not a real fighter,” Till told MMAjunkie. “This is not a chance for me to beat someone easy. To be honest, I’m going to shock the world when I fight ‘Wonderboy.’ A lot of people are going to see. This is just another time I’m going to be doubted but I’m going to prove people wrong. I don’t want the guarantees, but I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to shock a lot of people.”

Not only is Till, No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, going to have a rowdy hometown crowd on his side at UFC Fight Night 130, but he said he’s also benefitted by the fact No. 2-ranked Thompson is coming in as a somewhat reluctant adversary.

Thompson has admitted his knowledge of Till was minimal prior to being called out, and he attempted to find a more highly ranked opponent when the matchup materialized.

Several key pairings in the welterweight division were booked within a close proximity of one another, though, and with the way the weight class panned out, accepting the bout with Till was Thompson’s best (and only?) option. Till said he’s aware that he got somewhat lucky with the situation, and now it’s on him to make sure it’s not an opportunity wasted.

“I don’t think ‘Wonderboy’ is scared,” Till said. “He’s beat everyone, and the only guy he’s lost too is the champion. I just think he had no option other than to fight me. I don’t think anyone wants to see a third fight with Tyron. Then I called him out and a lot of people wanted the fight. Then he said, ‘I’m going to give this up and coming guy a shot.’ So he’s giving me my shot and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”

Although he’s unbeaten over 17 career fights and is coming off a dominant first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 118 in October, Till said he’s heard the critics who claim he’s not deserving of a fight with Thompson. He might lack the big names on his resume, but he said his octagon performances have shown how good he can be.

“A lot of people can say I jumped the rankings or whatever,” Till said. “But with the way I win, not only with ‘Cowboy,’ but with every guy I’ve beat, I’ve beat them convincingly. People shouldn’t hate too much on my record.”

Regardless of what any outsiders think, Till said he’s going to share the octagon with Thompson at UFC Fight Night 130, then all the questions will be answered. The unique style of Thompson has been difficult for nearly everyone to figure out, and those who have beaten him, have struggled to do so.

Till is beaming with self-confidence, though, and he’s determined to do what no one else has done before: Knock Thompson out. It’s a tall task to deliver on, but if anyone has the necessary combination of skills to get the better of one of the slickest strikers in MMA, Till said it’s him.

“He’s a karate master, but with my feel about how the fight is going and how I see every movement and every opportunity, I’m going to catch him,” Till said. “He’s going to throw a lot of different, difficult strikes at me, but I’m going to be able to get him and put my game on him. It’s all good when people say stuff out of the cage, but when you’re in the cage with me you realize there’s no one of my caliber. It’s a different game with me. I truly believe in my striking. I believe it’s the best in the world.”

If Till can back up his word and become the first to stop Thompson inside the distance, it would almost surely elevate him to the top of the divisional pecking order. Till said he’s not rushing to get the belt, though.

The next title shot against Woodley, who is still recovering from a December shoulder, is likely to go to the winner of the reported interim welterweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos (28-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) and Colby Covington (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) at UFC 224 in May. Till wouldn’t be far off in the conversation, but he said he will happily let the division pan out in its natural order before his shot.

Why does Till have such patience? He said because in his mind everyone is simply a placeholder until he gets to the title, anyway.

“If someone else feels they deserve it before me then let them have it,” Till said. “I’m not too worried about it. I’m just worried about being the best in the world, then titles and all that (expletive) comes with it. … A lot of people think I don’t deserve my ranking. I will be up there and close to the title shot. If they give it to me I’m not going to decline it, but if they give it to someone else, then they can just have it. I couldn’t give a (expletive), because whoever has the title when I get to the title, there’s no way their leaving with it. That title is mine.”

For the latest on UFC Fight Night 130, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.