Former UFC welterweight title contender Darren Till was hoping to reinvent himself at 185 pounds after coming up short in his Tyron Woodley fight — then getting knocked out by Jorge Masvidal — while suffering through several “grisly” weight cuts.
Unfortunately “The Gorilla” has been unable to get anything going since moving up in weight back in late 2019. Till is just 1-2 over the last three years and has been plagued with injuries, including the one that bounced him from this fight at UFC London.
Perhaps that will make his comeback story even greater.
“We’re a few weeks into getting back,” Till told ESPN. “Khamzat’s fully in camp now for this fight with Nate Diaz, so I’m like in camp helping him, but I’m in camp for myself to come back. The body’s never 100 percent, but I’m coming back what I used to be like – healthy and fit and ready to get a world title, get some wins in. Massive fight against one of the best strikers in the division, so this is all just about getting back now. I wanna have to fights by the end of this year, just boom boom, then next year’s a big year. The comeback is on!”
Till is assisting Khamzat Chimaev with the UFC 279 main event on Sept. 10.
Despite his struggles over the last few years, the 29 year-old Till remains ranked in the middleweight Top 10, which means the UFC rankings panel is still starstruck by the fan-friendly “Gorilla” or the competition at 185 pounds continues to decline.
As far as potential opponents, Chris Curtis and Sean Strickland are both coming off losses so it could depend on Till’s exact timeline — as well as availability of his opponents — before the promotion locks up a date and time for the Englishman’s inevitable return.