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“I was put on this earth to be a champion in the UFC and be a future GOAT, so when it happens, it’s going to happen.”
Darren Till is on a mission for UFC gold.
The former welterweight title challenger suffered another big setback against Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Island 3, but that’s not going to stop the 27-year-old from accomplishing his dream of becoming a ‘future GOAT’.
Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani in a recent interview, ‘The Gorilla’ said he won’t retire until he’s got a UFC belt wrapped around his waist.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of how long it takes,” Till said (h/t MMA Mania’s Adam Guillen Jr.) “I don’t know, I have no goal. I think when the time’s ready – I know what I was put on this earth for, no one can convince me otherwise. I was put on this earth to be a champion in the UFC and be a future GOAT, so when it happens, it’s going to happen. Until then, I’m just going to enjoy my last few days here (Dubai), and then I’m going to look forward to my next fight.
“I just want to fight, I just want to be the best,” he continued. “I can’t do anything else. I will not be able to retire if I don’t become one of the best.… I have to do it, I’ve got to do it, and I’m so determined and convinced. I’m going to train harder, and I’m going to be more vicious and violent as ever.”
Till went on to state that it would be an honor to have his name mentioned in the same sentence as pound-for-pound great Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“He (Whittaker) was the former champ,” he said. “A few more fights, and I am going to be the champion. I want that. I see all these – when you’re doing your chats with (Daniel Cormier) and he’s calling Khabib (Nurmagomedov) the G.O.A.T., I love seeing that because it makes me thrive to one day have my name mentioned like that.
“People could watch this now and be like, ‘Yeah, whatever Till,’ and people will be like, ‘Yeah, Till’s definitely going to be a GOAT,’ but it’s just what I set out to do,” he continued. “Step-by-step, I’m proving it, and I’m a high-level fighter. I’m a high-level striker in MMA.”
Till slipped to #6 in the UFC middleweight rankings following his unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 14.