Getty Daniel Cormier
Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier said “it might be over for the time being for” Darren Till should the Englishman lose at UFC 282 this weekend.
The middleweight is set to battle Dricus Du Plessis during the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of the year, taking place on December 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Saturday night will mark Till’s first bout since his submission loss to Derek Brunson in September 2021.
“The Gorilla,” is 1-4 in his last five contests, which includes a failed attempt at dethroning then-welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in September 2018, and he has dropped back-to-back fights. Till is ranked No. 10 at 185 pounds and if he loses to No. 14 Du Plessis, his dream of fighting for the middleweight championship will be even further out of reach.
Cormier gave his take on Till’s situation during a recent episode of his “DC & RC” ESPN show. “DC” praised Till’s striking abilities, but made it clear that The Gorilla was in a must-win situation. He also pointed to the opportunity Du Plessis was facing. A win over Till would be the most notable of the South African fighter’s career, and he’ll extend his win streak to six.
“Darren Till’s got that skillset, he’s training out of Sweden now with those guys like Khamzat (Chimaev) and Andreas Michael and the whole team at Allstars MMA,” Cormier said. “He has to implement what they teach and has to do it in a way that reminds everyone who Darren Till is and was between 170 and 185. He’s still young enough to make another run towards a championship opportunity. But it all starts Saturday, and if he can’t get past Du Plessis, it might be over for the time being for Till, but it would skyrocket Dricus up the rankings into very, very important fights.”
Cormier Wants to See ‘Consistency’ From Till
Cormier also stated that Till has faced some of the top fighters at middleweight and welterweight. Specifically, The Gorilla competed against former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker in a closely contested five-round affair in July 2020. Whittaker was awarded the unanimous decision, but Till showed that he could hang with an elite middleweight.
But even so, DC said Till needs to find himself on a victory streak.
“It’s not like Darren Till has not fought really high-level competition well,” Cormier said. “Darren Till was at one point fighting for the welterweight championship of the world, went up to 185, fought Robert Whittaker in a very competitive fight — we know how good Robert Whittaker is — but we need to see consistency.”
Cormier said that the consistency would be achieved by Till stringing wins together, not just picking up a victory here and there.
DC Also Said Till Remains 1 of the United Kingdom’s Biggest Stars
Till remains one of the biggest names fighting out of the United Kingdom and England specifically, Cormier said. However, that will only take Till so far in mixed martial arts.
“The one thing about Till is, he’s very popular,” Cormier said. “People still recognize him and honestly, before Leon Edwards became the champ, Till was still the most popular English fighter because he’s recognizable and he’s got a big personality. I can’t tell you how many times Till has come for me on Twitter.
“He’s a character. But the reality is, the character only gets you so far. You’ve got to win fights.”