“I feel like I just got to get a few wins under my belt and prove how good I am to the people again.”
UFC middleweight Darren Till is down, but not out.
The one-time UFC title challenger knows he has a long road back to title contention but is confident that he has what it takes to defeat Israel Adesanya and become middleweight champion.
Till is sure that he will succeed at middleweight where he failed at welterweight, but first, he needs to get a couple of wins under his belt.
‘The Gorilla’ is just 1-4 in his last five fights, losing his last bout via submission, but he knows that he can win back the support of the fans by going out there and making a statement against his next two opponents.
“Yeah, I feel like Adesanya’s a long way off,” Till told Submission Radio in a recent interview. “I feel like I just got to get a few wins under my belt and prove how good I am to the people again. Obviously, as soon as I get that title fight and win, I know I can beat Adesanya. The sky’s the limit then. The possibilities are endless.
“And I’ve just got to work hard and stay humble and do the right things and have a good supportive group around me, which I’ve got now, you know, especially with my newfound venture in Block Asset and these guys. These guys are going to great lengths to look after me in a special way, and it’s humbling for me. I’m a humble man, and it’s humbling when people really want to take care of your well being.”
Till was reluctant to reveal his next opponent but hinted at a matchup with top-ten middleweight Uriah Hall who has been taunting him on social media.
“I don’t know. My options are open. I just want the right fight for me. It’d be probably hard taking the Uriah Hall fight. I’m quite … I gotta … I’m scared of Uriah Hall (laughs). He’s a beast.”
“Uriah says I’m scared of him, so … I don’t know if he says that just for social media, but that’s what he says, so if that’s what he thinks, so that’s what I’ll say is correct. You know, there’s not more to say. I’ve obviously fought most of the guys who beat him, and I beat Gastelum who beat him and you know, but he thinks I’m scared of him? Makes no sense at all.”
Till has been training for the past few weeks in Sweden and the U.S. with surging welterweight Khamzat Chimaev, so expect the Liverpudlian to return to the Octagon with a renewed hunger and confidence. He is currently #8 in the UFC middleweight rankings.