Darren Till wants Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 224 in Rio

Darren Till is finally ready to return to action.

The rising welterweight prospect hasn’t fought since his October win over Donald Cerrone. And after a recent battle with sinusitis sidelined him earlier this year, Till told MMAFighting.com on Wednesday that he is looking to fight in the spring.

In fact, Till (16-0-1) would like to fight top contender Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 224 on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro.

“Just because of his fan base there,” Till said, “and I’ve obviously lived there. I’ve got a lot of fans there, and I can speak the language. It would be a good sell in Brazil, if he’s willing to do it.

“I know he’s waiting for [Tyron] Woodley but Woodley doesn’t seem to want to come back.”

While he is currently back home in Liverpool, England, Till spent four years living and training in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese.

Till is considered one of the brightest young stars on the UFC’s roster and someone the promotion is very bullish on. He has yet to fight in America, and says if RDA in Rio doesn’t materialize, he’d like to finally fight across the pond.

“The Americans need to see the new breed,” he said.

As for potential opponents in America, Till said he has his eye on Santiago Ponzinibbio, Kamaru Usman or Stephen Thompson next, though he added, “I think ‘Wonderboy’ is still gonna avoid me.”

Thompson, according to his father and coach, Ray, is still rehabbing his injured hands and is currently at 60 percent health-wise. He is also hoping to return to action in the spring, though the UFC hasn’t offered him a fight yet, Thompson said. There was interest in booking Thompson vs. Till earlier this year but it never materialized.

Usman, according to sources, doesn’t have his next fight yet and Ponzinibbio is in the running to headline the UFC’s inaugural card in Santiago, Chile on May 19.

Till, who’s back to training, doesn’t appear to be too picky about who’s next, he’s just ready to resume his rise up the welterweight rankings, and he feels that as every week passes, the appetite for his return continues to grow.

“Apart from Conor, everyone is anticipating my comeback more than anyone else,” Till said. “It will be big.”