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Till, Perry, and Co. breathing new life into UFC's welterweight division

Per Haljestam / USA TODAY Sports

The rich always seem to find a way to get richer.

An otherwise starless Saturday afternoon in Poland proved the UFC's welterweight division is no exception, as undefeated prospect Darren Till walked the walk and turned a murderers' row of a weight class on its head with a first-round trouncing of perennial contender and fan favorite Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC Fight Night 118.

Between the breakthrough performance, the boisterous postfight interview, and ensuing exchange of words with the surging Mike Perry, Till not only announced his arrival, he gave the brass peace of mind regarding their future efforts to hold down the market across the pond once reigning middleweight champion Michael Bisping puts us all out of our misery and hangs up his gloves.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

That said, Saturday's headliner and the ruckus that followed didn't mark a changing of the guard so much as a bridging of the old and new. Till, Perry, Kamaru Usman, and Colby Covington (to name a few) may be getting theirs, but Robbie Lawler, Demian Maia - whom Till anointed the toughest fight in the division - Stephen Thompson, and Co. won't give up their cushy spots in the pecking order without a fight. In other words, it's hard not to salivate at the prospect of seeing the blue-chippers tangle with a bevy of battle-tested vets still capable of hoisting UFC gold (Covington will do so Saturday opposite Maia at UFC Fight Night 119 in Sao Paulo).

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Not to be outdone by the boisterous Till, Perry has shaken things up himself at 170 pounds over just a handful of walks to the Octagon, whether by sending Jake Ellenberger to the Shadow Realm or calling out Lawler in all his space-cadet glory. In fact, the 26-year-old knockout artist's antics in the cage have reduced previous glimpses of reprehensible behavior outside of it to a footnote in the book on him, quite simply because he fuels fight fans' primal, immortal craving for unadulterated (sanctioned) violence - whether we want to admit it or not.

He may sound better suited as a running mate to Jeff Spicoli in a remake of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," but the fact remains Perry has called for fights we didn't know we wanted until he floated them.

Tantalizing as a surefire striker's ball between Perry and Till might be, it can't materialize before another streaking welterweight in Ponzinibbio says his piece.

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

Once the dust kicked up by Till and Perry's agreement to square off settled, those clamoring for the tilt soon remembered Perry is already booked to meet the Argentine at UFC on FOX 26 in December. Call the momentary negligence a slight to Ponzinibbio if you will, but it doubles as further proof the promotion's welterweight crop has looked as good as ever.

The 31-year-old American Top Team product has quietly won five straight and mounted a 7-2 record in the Octagon - with all of his bouts contested on free TV - and made the most of his first crack at a ranked opponent in July at UFC Fight Night 113, where he dispatched Gunnar Nelson by KO in under two minutes. The victory seeded him at No. 9 in the welterweight rankings, just one spot below teammate Covington, who's backed up his bark and thickened the title picture himself with a four-fight win streak.

Much akin to a featherweight division made up of equal parts perennial contenders and prospects living up to their billings, the welterweight crop has given casual and lifelong fans alike much to be excited about for the foreseeable future. Till, Perry, Usman and Covington have wisely coupled their first-rate abilities in the cage with some savvy on the mic, and while their callouts occasionally miss the mark, the grander result is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

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