Former welterweight title challenger Darren Till‘s UFC comeback was spoiled by a third-round submission defeat to Dricus Du Plessis. Till is currently on a three-fight skid.
In a statement released on Instagram after the loss, the 29-year-old revealed that he is not considering retirement but is looking to take some time off from the UFC.
Till added that he is hoping to return to the sport sometime next year:
“I’m not retiring, this is not a retirement speech… When I’m in the gym sparring with all these best guys, I don’t know truly I’m in my element and when I step there in the octagon, I just can’t seem to put things together… I just want to say whether you love me or hate me, I’m sorry… I do really train… the past 13 weeks I’ve given my all… Now I don’t know what to do properly… I think I’m going to have a little bit of time off from the UFC… I’m not retiring… I want to fight soon, next year.”
Till allegedly suffered an ACL injury during the fight. A video has since emerged of the Englishman telling UFC octagon announcer Bruce Buffer about his ill-fated injury.
Once touted as a future champion, Darren Till’s career has taken a turn for the worse in recent years. The Scouser’s last MMA win came all the way back in 2019 against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244.
However, ‘The Gorilla’ holds wins over promotional legends such as Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Donald Cerrone.
Dricus Du Plessis says that Darren Till gave up in the third round
At UFC 282, Dricus Du Plessis finished out the year in style by claiming his fourth UFC win, against Darren Till. In an interview with Megan Olivi after the win, the South African fighter claimed that Till gave up in the last round of their fight.
‘Stillknocks’ claimed that he could see in ‘The Gorilla’s’ face that he didn’t want to be there anymore:
“In that third round when I came out I felt really good and… I could see in his face, he didn’t want to be there. Like he was like this was a fight but I could see that he was willing to give up… I could just see that there was no giving up for me and I could see that he didn’t want to be there anymore.”
Du Plessis is currently 18-2 as a mixed martial artist and with his win over Darren Till, the 28-year-old is expected to break into the top 10 of the middleweight rankings.
Watch Dricus Du Plessis’ interview with Megan Olivi below: