Darren Till: A Fighter Inside and Outside the Cage

Darren Till: A Fighter Inside and Outside the Cage  

By Lewis Holman 

Over the past few years, we have seen some fantastic fighters come from the British Isles and Ireland, the likes of Michael Bisping, Conor McGregor and Ian Freeman spring to mind. Yet all could be about to be eclipsed by the pure savagery of Welterweight Darren Till.

Nicknamed “The Gorilla” from just hearing him speak you can tell Darren Till is a fighter through and through. Fighting out of Liverpool he already has that spite that all Liverpudlians have, but Darren Till just seems to have that something special that we haven’t seen in a British Mixed Martial artist before.

That is because after getting involved in a brawl in a nightclub and subsequently hospitalised the party-loving Darren Till moved to Brazil to focus on his MMA career at only 19 years of age spending 4 years fighting out of Brazil’s toughest gyms.

Despite his fame now it wasn’t always easy for the Brit abroad in Brazil. He was nicknamed Darren “No Money in the” Till, and in 2013 alone fought 8 times in South America with his name known from Rio to Buenos Ares. It isn’t hard to see why with a 12-0 Amateur career in which he accumulated 7 knockouts in the process.

Whilst in Brazil the British fighter added considerably to his MMA armoury learning groundwork to make even the most experienced grappler quake in his boots. This new skillset, already paired with considerable experience in Muay Thai and his striking ability to rival any boxer out there turned Darren Till into something new entirely. A brute. A gladiator. A real competitor in the MMA scene.

Described by one website as a “Muay Thai master” the Englishman uses his Karate-Taekwondo stance to dominate most fights, despite being a Southpaw he is equally deadly with his hands making him as savage as the Gorilla he is named after.

At 6ft tall the Brits frame seems perfect for the Welterweight division, he has to speed to close down large distances with ease yet has the power and imposing size that makes him seem a lot bigger to his opponents than 6ft.

With a 17-1 record at only 25 years-old, the future looks bright for the “Gorilla.” But often from the way that his fans talk about him, it seems like he is the best fighter in the UFC. Many laughed it off, but when you see the youngster taking down MMA veteran Cowboy Cerrone in a brutal first-round stoppage in October 2017 you just have to think, how far can Till go?

His clash on September the 8th against Tyrone Woodley in a must watch title shot could go some way to establishing himself as one of the best not only in the division but in the sport. A promotion from his “wonder boy” status he currently has.

After that a potential fight with Conor McGregor has been speculated (some things are inevitable) with the Irishman only 7kg lighter than Till. Yet it is more paper talk than actual contract talk between the two camps. But who knows what Darren “the Gorilla” Till will do next?

The sky really is the limit for a fighter with the persona to rival McGregor, the power to outmuscle Bisping and could start a legacy to outshine them all.