Darren Till believes he’ll continue fighting, but he has some reflecting to do following his third straight loss.
Till was submitted in the third round by Dricus Du Plessis in the Fight of the Night at UFC 282 on Saturday in Las Vegas. After a completely one-sided opening round for Du Plessis, Till was able to turn the tide in the second during the back-and-forth battle, before the former KSW champion put the one-time UFC title challenger away in the final round.
Now 1-5 over his six most recent octagon appearances, Till took to Instagram to respond to the loss.
” You don’t always have what you want,” Till stated. “It’s tough. I’m f****** 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. It’s hard to find my way right now. I don’t know why. I can’t seem to get it together when I am sparring with some of the most skilled guys in the country. Then I have moments — like the second round — when I’m untouchable, and then certain things happen.”
“The Gorilla” returned after a 15 month layoff on Saturday in his first appearance since being submitted by Derek Brunson in the main event of UFC Vegas 36 in September 2021. Prior to that, Till lost a competitive decision to former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 14 over a year earlier.
Till acknowledges that he needs to be soul-searching, but isn’t giving up on his dream of a better life.
“I just want to say — whether you love me or hate me — I’m sorry,” Till explained. “I tried to put a show on, I never cut no corners. I really do train perhaps I am too obsessed with it. 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. Although I am not retiring, I still want to fight and I plan to fight next year. But for now, I would like to enjoy Christmas with my family, spend time with friends, and thank everyone who has supported me back at home.
” I hope that you enjoyed this fight. It was quite a battle. “Well done Dricus,” Till said. “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.”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/11/23503924/darren-till-not-retired-following-stoppage-loss-to-dricus-du-plessis-at-ufc-282?rand=96749
