Photo by James Chance/Getty Images
Darren Till’s head coach Colin Heron reveals what he thinks is the primary reason for his fighter’s weight issues.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till has recently been considering a jump to middleweight. “The Gorrilla” says he’d be “right in the mix” and feels there won’t be a size disadvantage against the current 185-pound fighters in the roster.
Till’s is known for his struggles to make the 170-pound limit, as seen during his harrowing weight cut for his fight against Stephen Thompson in May 2018. But for his head coach Colin Heron, it is more of a lifestyle issue.
”The obvious answer is, ‘He has a tough weight cut and needs to go up,’ correct?” Heron told ESPN in a recent interview. “What people don’t see is the lifestyle between fights. It’s hard for me to make correct decisions, until I see a fighter, especially Darren, walking around lean between fights.
”Here’s the problem with Darren Till, and it’s no secret: He eats sh-t. As disciplined as he is in the gym, between fights, he will eat the most amount of sh-t you’ve ever seen in your life.”
If Till does make the move to middleweight, Heron wants him to adapt a healthier lifestyle along with it.
“The fact of the matter is he will probably be a middleweight, but whether it’s now or later, I don’t know,” he said. “My only concern is he goes up to middle(weight), and that will give him the license to eat more. Then we end up with just as big of a cut, but with bigger consequences in the actual fight.
“So, I would like to get him lean and then make a decision.”
After going 17-0 professionally, Till is currently on a two-fight skid. His most recent loss came at the hands of Jorge Masvidal, who knocked him out inside two rounds in mid-March in London.