Darren Till: From Sweet Caroline to Sour Defeat

Darren Till: From Sweet Caroline to Sour Defeat

By Anuj Datta

Seven months ago, Darren Till was the number one welterweight contender in arguably the toughest division in the UFC. The undefeated rising star was preparing to do battle for the crown. Fast forward to the present day – he has suffered back to back defeats, both in devastating fashion.

The man from Liverpool, was widely touted as Britain’s next and only second world champion (following in the footsteps of recent hall of fame inductee Michael Bisping). Perhaps prematurely, he was given the unenviable task of overthrowing dominant champ Tyron Woodley. The opportunity came after fellow contender Colby Covington couldn’t come to a fight agreement.

By his own admission, Till admitted he saw the fight as a foregone conclusion and focused more on the weight cut than the man before him. Talk of a move to middleweight was rife but after a talk with his management, The Gorilla decided that there was “unfinished business” at 170. After rumoured negotiations with Ponzinibbio and Dos Anjos failed to materialise, a game veteran stepped out from the shadows and challenged him on twitter.

Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal offered to fight Till in his backyard, the main event for UFC London was made. The build up was mutually respectful and there was a different look in the home fighters’ eye. As fight week commenced, there was a steely determination to prove he was the best in the world and pave a way back to the title shot.

Equally, Masvidal was returning from a long time out of the octagon and was keen to make a statement. The title shot was also on his mind and fighting the number three was the best outcome, as most of the other contenders weren’t available.

Masvidal did what few expected, he knocked Till out cold in the second round. Pin drop silence in the 02 arena, Jorge had brought the resurrection to a screeching halt. Whilst not a great deal of importance is given to the rankings, UFC update them on a weekly basis and Till has fallen to seventh. Masvidal leapfrogging him after the impressive win, and Ben Askren too after his successful debut.

So, what’s next for Darren? Stay in limbo?

The welterweight division is currently stacked. With a title change and the bad blood between the three at the top, it doesn’t look like anyone else is getting a shot anytime soon. Plus the recent addition of top ten lightweights Michael Chiesa and Kevin Lee to 170, it seems a long road back to the top.

Askren instigated a fight with Till on social media and insults him whenever he can. However, Funkytown seems to have dropped that gripe in pursuit of the gold. A domestic match up with Leon Edwards is a possibility with the latter calling Till out for some time now. But in his quest for greatness, moving to middleweight must be more appealing than ever.

Thiago Santos and Luke Rockhold have transitioned to light heavyweight with rumours that Chris Weidman and Yoel Romero will soon follow suit. This frees up the division for the 26-year-old scouser to take it by storm. The hard weight cut may have taken its last toll on Till, with 185 inevitably looking like the destination.