Despite getting a taste of defeat for the first time, Darren Till vows to become one of the greatest fighters in the game.
Darren Till was on an undefeated run as he entered the biggest fight of his career against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 on Saturday. That 17-fight win streak was snapped via a second-round submission loss, which was understandably a tough pill to swallow for the 25-year-old fighter out of Liverpool, England.
Yet, despite getting to experience the bitter taste of defeat for the first time in his career, “The Gorilla” compared himself to other top-tier fighters who have gone through their own losses, and used as his inspiration to move forward.
“It just hurts because I got there, I was nearly there to do what I set out to do, get that belt and be the greatest,” Till told reporters during his post-fight media scrum (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I am still gonna be the greatest, I know that. I just spoke to Woodley backstage and he’s lost. Jon Jones has lost. Georges St-Pierre has lost.”
“All the greats have lost. That’s my first loss tonight and just right now I’m still okay, but I’m just upset. There’s no sugarcoating it.”
While Till may have been previously undefeated as a professional, he did admit to have lost during the earlier days of his MMA run. He does expect to run into a few more in the future, but he believes it does not deter his shot at becoming one of the greatest names in the mixed martial arts game.
“I’ve lost very few times in my life, you didn’t know me before MMA. I lost three times, I actually lost for a world title in Canada and that was just horrible for me,” he said. “It’s one of them things, I’ll face it head on.
“It’s all ups since I made my comeback next year, you’ve got to remember I only came back last year after an 18-month layoff. Fought in Sweden, Rotterdam, Poland, and then I fought in Liverpool, and now Texas. It’s been a ride for me. The losses came tonight.
“Listen, there will probably be another loss. But as I say, I am still going to be the greatest fighter of all time, I know I am. This doesn’t change anything. It’s just I can’t lie to you right now. I’m upset, I’m broken. I’m hurt tonight, I’m a hurt person.”
After UFC 228, Till now drops to a record of 17-1-1, with 12 wins by stoppage.