Former UFC middleweight contender Darren Till has teased a return to mixed martial arts after nearly four years away from the sport.
Till was released from the UFC following a submission loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282 in December 2022, at his request, as he wanted to compete in professional boxing and bare-knuckle boxing.
Since leaving the UFC, Till has been highly successful competing in other combat sports. He has a 1-0 record in pro boxing with an absolutely brutal KO win over former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, plus a 1-0 record in BKFC with a KO win over former reality TV star Aaron Chalmers.
Next up is a matchup against former UFC standout Yoel Romero at BKFC 94 in September. But as good as Till is doing in these other combat sports, he hasn’t ruled out a return to MMA.
Darren Till Open to MMA Return
Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Till said that he is open to competing again in mixed martial arts.
“I actually don’t think I’m done. I’ve been pondering about it for a while now, and a lot of people are like, ‘Till, you exited when you fought Dricus (Du Plessis) and you nearly beat him, then he went on to be the champ, so you weren’t done with MMA. I don’t know why you left.’ People don’t understand. This is not me sitting here, because I give kudos to the people I’ve beaten; I’ve beaten them fair and square. I think my record’s like 19-4 or something in MMA, and to the people who beat me, I had such a close fight with (Robert) Whittaker, but still, he won fair and square. But people don’t realize the severe trauma my body was actually in at that point. I wasn’t really filled out as a middleweight. I wasn’t of the size, and there was just trauma to my knees. I’ve had doctors look at it, and they don’t even think I should be fighting. Like, I have a torn ACL in one and a torn MCL in another, which I haven’t gotten addressed at this point,” Till said.
Would UFC Take Darren Till Back?
Although Till flamed out of the UFC with three straight losses and five defeats over his final six UFC bouts, he is still a massive name in the sport and surely the UFC would love to have him back, if only to put him on a card in his native England.
But even if the UFC wasn’t interested in a Till return, he could easily shop his services to MVP/PFL, who would also be a good fit for him should he step back into the cage.
For now, he’s plying his trade in BKFC, and he has a tough test ahead of him in Romero, who was once one of the most feared fighters in the UFC. Depending on what happens in that fight, we could potentially see Till make a comeback to mixed martial arts, but ultimately he will decide what he wants to do.
Darren Till Teases Return to MMA