Getty Darren Till looks dejected after being knocked out.
UFC superstar Darren Till has fans concerned he may not come back based on a recent photo of his eye injury.
Fan favorite Till is set to mark his return to action against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. He goes into the bout looking to get back to winning ways after dropping two in a row to Derek Brunson and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
The 29-year-old Scouser has been on the sidelines for over a year since his last outing against Brunson in Sep. 2021. Brunson handily dispatched Till in the third round with a rear-naked choke submission.
Till has suffered an unfortunately long string of injuries. He was lined up to fight Jack Hermansson in July at UFC London but had to withdraw from the co-main event outing due to a leg injury. It marked the fourth time ‘Gorilla’ was forced to pull out of his fights in only his last five planned bouts.
Ahead of his nearing contest, Till took to his Instagram to share a snap of his gruesome eye injury.
“Solid days work today with the boys,” he captioned the post.
Nasty looking eye injury for Darren Till.😬
MMA Fans Are Convinced Till Will Pull Out Again
Till’s latest update drew a big reaction from the community. Many fans believe he will pull out again after suffering the horrific injury just over a month out from his next bout.
“Darren pulls out of fight due to injury,” commented a user.
A fan wrote: “You better not pull out again, I went to both London shows this year hoping to see you.”
“Second pic we needed a warning,” responded a fan.
“Is it worth losing an eye Darren?” asked another user.
Some suggested Till decide to hang up his gloves and walk away from competition for health reasons, while others believe UFC may drop him from the roster.
“Speedy recovery, but he should consider retiring, injuries are addicted to him like a druggie to coke,” tweeted a fan.
Another fan responded: “He’s definitely pulling out again. I bet he gets cut this time.”
Till Expressed His Frustration After Pulling Out of UFC London
When Till made his way to the UFC, he was hyped as potentially the next British champion. He racked up an impressive four-fight win streak in 2017-18, including wins over Stephen Thompson and Donald Cerrone.
He went undefeated in his first 18 bouts as a professional mixed martial artist until former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley handed him the first loss of his career in Sep. 2018.
After pulling out of UFC London, Till expressed his annoyance at not being able to get back inside the octagon.
“It’s just so frustrating at this point in my career,” Till said via MMA Junkie. “I’m happy for the way English MMA is going – to see all these up-and-comers, Tom (Aspinall), Paddy (Pimblett), Muhammad (Mokaev), all these guys. I’m so happy to see them in the position they’re in. But it’s so f**king frustrating for me at the same time because I know my potential. I’m not downing anyone, but I’m the f**king best out there and I know that.
“It’s just such a f**king depressing time for me at the moment because listen, trolls don’t bother me. But it’s just these f**king comments and all these – even fighters – and they’re like, ‘Oh, he pulled out.’ I’m like, ‘Mate, come to the gym and I’ll f**king take you out.’ It’s just so frustrating for me right now. It really is. I’m at a f**king low point.”