Getty Dricus Du Plessis & Darren Till
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till suffered his third loss in a row inside the Octagon, but he’s not considering retirement.
The 29-year-old fighter from Liverpool, England, fought Dricus Du Plessis during the UFC 282 main card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was Till’s first contest since his September 2021 loss to Derek Brunson, and he hoped to snap the two-fight skid we brought with him into the cage.
However, “The Gorilla” found himself on the wrong end of a third-round face crank courtesy of Du Plessis. Prior to Till tapping out, he was nearly finished in the first round due to strikes against the cage before bouncing back with a solid round-two performance on his feet.
Till is now 1-5 in his last six outings, which includes going 1-3 since moving up to the middleweight division in 2019. Further, The Gorilla told cage announcer Bruce Buffer after the fight that he felt he had torn his ACL during the match. And if that’s the case, the scouser will likely be out of action for around a year.
Till Said He’s He ‘Just Can Seem to Put Things Together’ Inside the Cage
Till shared a video on Instagram after the fight to address the loss. In short, Till said he planned to take a bit of a hiatus, but in no way was he retiring from mixed martial arts.
“You don’t always get what you want in this life,” Till said. “It’s tough. F***, I’m 29 now. I’ve been at the top of this sport since 2017. I entered in the UFC in 2015.
“I’m not retiring,” Till continued. “This is not a retirement speech. I’m 29, that would be stupid to decide. I’m on a bit of a losing skid at the moment, I really am. I’m not finding me right way and stuff like that. And it’s crazy because when I’m in the gym sparring with the best guys around the world, I really am in me element.
“And then I step in there in the Octagon, I just can seem to put things together. Then I have moments — like in the second round — when I’m untouchable, but then certain things happen.”
Till Apologized to Fight Fans for Losing, Will Take ‘A Litle Time Off From the UFC
Till continued, saying he was “sorry” to fight fans and that he was planning to take some time to be with his family and friends for the holidays.
“I just want to say to everyone there, whether you love me or hate me, I’m sorry,” Till said. “I tried to come in and put a show on. I never cut no corners. I do really train — maybe I train too much. I train like a f****** man demented. The past 18 weeks I’ve given me all, and I’ve always given me all to this sport.
“Now, I don’t know what to do properly. But I think I’m going to have a little time off from the UFC, I don’t know, and just rethink stuff. I’m not retired. I want to fight. I want to fight soon, next year, but I just want to spend Christmas with me family, have a good time with my friends, and everybody who supports me, me team back home.
“That’s it. I hope you enjoyed the fight and all, it was a bit of a war. Well done to Dricus,” The Gorilla continued. “I felt like I had him there, I know I was making him switch. He was very scared to stand and strike, that’s why he was shooting for them takedowns.”