Darren Till ‘Not Retired’ But Plans to Take Some ‘Time Off from the UFC’

Not all that long ago, the future appeared to be bright indeed for Darren Till.

The Liverpool, England, native was unbeaten in his first six UFC appearances, a run that included signature triumphs against Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson. That led to a welterweight title shot against Tyron Woodley, and though Till lost via second-round submission in that September 2018 bout, it seemed as though he would remain on an upward trajectory.

That hasn’t been the case. The Woodley loss was just the start of an extended slump that has seen Till lose five of six in the Octagon, including a third-round submission defeat at the hands of Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282 this past Saturday. Till showed mettle in rallying back from a lopsided opening stanza, but ultimately, he was unable to completely turn the corner in a clash that ultimately received “Fight of the Night” honors.

The latest setback caused Till to do some serious reflecting, and while some time off will do him some good, “The Gorilla” says he isn’t ready to call it a career just yet.

“You don’t always get what you want in this life,” Till said in a video on Instagram. “It’s tough. I’m f----g 29 now. I’ve been at the top of the sport since 2017, entered in the UFC in 2015. I’m not retired, 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 ain’t finding my right way at the moment, and it’s crazy because when I’m in the gym sparring with the best guys in the world, I really am in [my] element, and then I step in the octagon and I just can seem to put things together. Then I have moments — like the second round — when I’m untouchable, and then certain things happen.

“I just want to say — whether you love me or hate me — I’m sorry. I tried to put a show on, I never cut no corners. I do really train, [and] maybe I train too much. I train like a f---ing 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 next year, but now I just want to spend Christmas with my family, have a good time with my friends, and everybody who supports me, my team back home.

“I hope you enjoyed the fight and all, it was a bit of a war. Well done to Dricus. I felt like I had him there, I was making him switch. He was very scared to stand and strike, that’s why he was shooting for them takedowns.”

Du Plessis, Till’s opponent, suggested that the Englishman return to 170 pounds to revive his career. Till is now 1-3 since moving to middleweight, a move that came following a knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal in March 2019.

“I think Darren proved he’s an incredible fighter, but I do believe if he wants to make any run at being successful, he needs to fight at welterweight,” Du Plessis said after UFC 282. “Honestly felt that tonight. I’m not hating on Darren Till at all, I have all the respect in the world, but he is not strong enough or big enough to fight at middleweight.”