Darren Till rules out retirement following his UFC 282 stoppage loss to Dricus du Plessis.
Darren Till has ruled out retirement following his stoppage loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282 but needs some ‘time off’ from the promotion.
The loss marked Till’s third in a row, with the one-time UFC title challenger losing two out of his last three fights via stoppage. His last win came back in 2019 when he defeated Ultimate Fighter 17 winner and former interim welterweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum via split decision at UFC 244.
Still, despite his recent string of poor results and ‘being on a bit of a losing skid’, Till has no intention of retiring. And at just 29 years old, why would he?
“You don’t always get what you want in this life,” Till said via Instagram (h/t MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck) following his submission loss to du Plessis. “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. I ain’t finding my right way at the moment, and it’s crazy because when I’m in the gym sparring with the best guys in the world, I really am in [my] element, and then I step in the octagon and I just can seem to put things together. Then I have moments — like the second round — when I’m untouchable, and then certain things happen.”
Till went on to suggest that he overtrained for UFC 282 and that it may have played a significant role in his performance, with ‘The Gorilla’ looking notably fatigued throughout the fight, especially in the third round.
“I just want to say — whether you love me or hate me — I’m sorry,” Till said. “I tried to put a show on, I never cut no corners. I do really train, [and] maybe I train too much. 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. I’m not retired, I want to fight, I want to fight next year, but now I just want to spend Christmas with my family, have a good time with my friends, and everybody who supports me, my team back home.
“I hope you enjoyed the fight and all, it was a bit of a war. Well done to Dricus,” Till continued. “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.”
Till is 1-5 in his last six fights but is still considered a household name in the UFC, which is likely why he hasn’t been cut.