Darren Till was injured heading into UFC Vegas 36.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger and current No. 7-ranked middleweight Darren Till was injured heading into his middleweight bout against Derek Brunson on Saturday, Michael Bisping revealed following the fight.
“I went backstage to talk to Darren Till, and he was frustrated,” Bisping told BT Sport (h/t Low Kick MMA). “He tore his ACL 10 weeks ago. Certainly with that kind of injury, that would’ve hampered his performance. But you can’t take anything away from Derek Brunson.”
Till was submitted in the third round after repeated failed attempts to stop Brunson’s takedowns. Brunson was at a disadvantage on the feet but largely had his way with Till on the ground, which is why ‘The Gorilla’ is staying put in Las Vegas to work on his wrestling for the time being.
“He’s going to stay in Las Vegas for the time being and train a little bit and work on his takedown defense,” Bisping revealed. “I think spending some time in the United States and getting some work in grappling, he can get sharp again.”
Bisping has also advised Till to move back down to welterweight after the Liverpudlian has had limited success at middleweight, losing his last two fights and barely squeaking a split decision over Kelvin Gastelum in his 185-pound debut. Till is currently #7 in the UFC middleweight rankings.