“I honestly believe, truly, hand on heart, that at some point in his career, he will be middleweight champion of the world.”
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes Darren Till is destined for championship success.
Till came up short in his bid to capture welterweight gold against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228, losing via second-round submission, but ‘The Count’ believes ‘The Gorilla’ is still evolving and is confident that, at just 28-years-old, he has all the time in the world to become middleweight champion.
“I love the guy. I think he’s phenomenal,” Bisping said of Till in a recent interview with The Schmo (h/t MMA News). “I love everything about him. I love the way he fights, I love the way he carries himself, I love how raw and honest that he is. And I think he’s championship material. Darren’s only [28] years old. I mean, that’s crazy to think the success that he’s had…”
“He’s lost a few fights, but, alright, other than the Masvidal one—everybody gets caught here and there—they’ve been razor close. I mean, that fight (against) Robert Whittaker was so close. I think it came down to that takedown in the 5th round. And then when you see Whittaker and what he did to Gastelum and how good he’s looking and when he beat Cannonier, I think that reinforces Darren to where he’s at and how close he is to being the champ. And I honestly believe, truly, hand on heart, that at some point in his career, he will be middleweight champion of the world.”
Till, formerly undefeated, is 1-3 in his last four fights but has only lost to the crème de la crème of the welterweight and middleweight division. He is currently ranked #7 in the UFC middleweight rankings and will look to rebound from his loss to Robert Whittaker when he takes on Derek Brunson on Aug. 14 at UFC Fight Night 192.
Bisping, 42, is retired but still works for the UFC on commentary duties. He also has his own podcast, ‘Believe You Me’, which you can watch here.