Darren Till is drawing inspiration from Charles Oliveria and Michael Bisping following his third-round submission defeat to Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 36.
‘The Gorilla’ was somewhat fancied to establish himself as a true middleweight title contender in the UFC Vegas 36 main event but things really didn’t go his way.
Brunson was able to dominant the vast majority of the match-up with his superior wrestling skills. Till hit the mat in each round and always struggled to get back to his feet. In round three, Brunson landed in the mount position, forcing Till to surrender his back and ultimately fall to a rear-naked choke submission defeat.
The scouser has now lost four of his last five fights. Till exited the Octagon very quickly after his latest loss. The 28-year-old hasn’t spoken to the press and has only broken his silence to post images of Oliveira and Bisping holding UFC gold on social media.
‘Do Bronx’ seen Till’s post and told the Liverpudlian to “never give up”. The current lightweight king even extended Till an invitation to come train with him.
“Keep you head up, never give up! God knows everything,” Oliveira wrote on Twitter. “Return home, get back to the gym – train and dedicated yourself. Hey @darrentill2 we’re here my ma’, if you need our support, lets train together. #UFCVegas36”
Keep you head up, never give up! God knows everything. Return home, get back to the gym – train and dedicated yourself.
Hey @darrentill2 we're here my ma', if you need our support, lets train together.
#UFCVegas36 https://t.co/ONnGzTlsKh
— Charles Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) September 5, 2021
Bisping was on commentary duty for the fight. ‘The Count’ offered Till some constructive criticism when he spoke post-fight with BT Sport. However, he was keen to ensure his pal didn’t get too down on himself after the loss.
“It’s another loss on his record and it’s further halting his progression to becoming champion of the world,” Bisping said. “But what I will say this, in terms of encouragement, he’s only 28-years-old. You know, I had many, many ups and downs throughout my career.
“Maybe some tweaks,” Bisping suggested. “I’m not saying he should leave Team Kaobon but maybe go somewhere where they have a heavier influence on wrestling, certainly on jujitsu as well. With absolute respect, the ground game could’ve been a little better there tonight. No shame in the takedowns, Derek Brunson is a strong wrestler and he’s built his entire career on that but I thought when he hit the ground I thought he could’ve done some things a little better.
“Keep your chin up, mate,” Bisping concluded. “You’ve got it. You’ve got all the skills, you really do. You have all the potential to become a champion one day. Youth is on your side, but you’ve got to stay the course, you’ve got to stay focused. Do not give up on yourself.”
Do you think Darren Till will ever become a UFC champion?