Darren Till is no longer on the UFC roster, but hopes to return in a few years after healing injuries that have hindered his fight preparation.
The former UFC welterweight title challenger recently requested his release from the promotion. It was a move that caught fans by surprise, even considering his three-fight skid. Speaking for the first time since the major news, Till (18-5-1 MMA, 6-5-1 UFC) explained his reasons for asking the promotion to part ways for now, and why UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell agreed.
“I’ve been suffering for the past two years, and it’s no secret I think now, at this point,” Till told MMA Junkie. “Obviously, I’ve been speaking to Hunter ever since my (Robert) Whittaker fight where I injured my knees. He’s been going crazy at me for like two years. He’s like, ‘Till, I can’t take much more of this.’ He’s like, ‘I’ve got your back, I know you’re going to be a champ.’ Stuff like that he says to me. But he’s like, ‘You need to get your knees right.’ He said this before my last fight, and said it before the fight before that.”
In July 2020, Till’s knee troubles began when he fought former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi. Things got worse in preparation for his next fight a year later against Derek Brunson, but he didn’t stop going.
“I’ve got a torn ACL in my right knee,” Till said. “Whittaker fight, I tore my MCL. Eight weeks before I fought Derek Brunson, I tore my ACL in the same knee, and the other one is a torn MCL. So, the other one’s not that bad, but the right one, a torn ACL, you don’t get no worse. Every grade is tore.
“I’ve been trying to convince myself I’m okay when I’m not, so I need to go off and do some rigorous f*cking stuff with my body, and obviously, the mental side comes into it a little bit.”
Till admits he shouldn’t have fought Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282 in his condition, and has yet to get surgery for the injuries. He tried stem cell treatments, but they did not do the trick. All the while, he didn’t train for a key part of MMA fights: grappling.
“I went in there probably 80 percent prepared again, and obviously took a loss that I don’t feel like I should have took,” Till said.
According to Till, the conversations with Campbell were good, but the UFC exec wanted to make sure this was the direction he wanted to go, considering the promotion typically doesn’t bring fighters back for another stint.
“Maybe I want to leave the UFC for like two years, and just maybe venture out, and obviously look out for my health for two years, and come back and stuff like that,” Till said. “I had a good conversation with him. … I’m thinking I’ll be back, no matter what you say, I know I will. Like, we’ve got a good relationship. It’s not like you kicked me out the UFC, I’m asking to be released, and you’re releasing me.”
About a week later, Till said he made the call to Campbell to ask for his release papers to be sent. A couple of weeks later, everything was completed, which triggered the algorithm-based social media account to alert the public of Till’s removal from the UFC roster.
“No hard feelings with them, I’m sure they’ve got none with me,” Till said. “They know the type of guy I am. I’ve got morals, values, and respect.”
Now, he wants to address the issues properly, but isn’t against taking a striking-only fight before he looks to return to the promotion that granted his release.
“I’ve been getting some crazy big offers the past two days now,” Till said. “It’s not like I’ve left the UFC to go jump into another organization like, ‘Oh, yeah, my knees are fine.’ We’ll see. … I’m sure there’s a few striking matches to do while I’m getting ready to come back to the UFC, make a bit of money. That’s always nice, isn’t it?”
