WATCH: Darren Till honorably makes a request to Bruce Buffer to not reveal the true reason for his loss at UFC 282

WATCH: Darren Till honorably makes a request to Bruce Buffer to not reveal the true reason for his loss at UFC 282

Darren Till speaks to Bruce Buffer after his UFC 282 loss [Image Source - MMA Junkie (L) and ESPN MMA (R)]

Darren Till is on a terrible losing skid right now, and no MMA fan would have believed that such a talented striker could go 1-5 in four years at the prime age of 29. Also not to forget, Till challenged Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title at UFC 228 four years ago. But, his recent form has been concerning.

At UFC 282, it was imperative for the striker to get back in the win column, after a frankly horrific couple of years, laced with embarrassing losses and gnarly injuries. To be precise, going into the fight, Till was teetering at the edge of the precipice after a harrowing loss to Derek Brunson last year, where he didn’t just look out of shape, but he also looked like a fish out of the water.

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Now, it seems like the glaring caveat in his game has caught him out once again. With the majority of the fight taking place on the ground, Du Plessis was able to shun any striking threat from the British fighter. Du Plessis was successful in landing vicious shots to the face of Till before neatly submitting him at the beginning of the third round.

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During one of the grappling exchanges, it looked like Till winced his pain, which later turned out to be an ACL tear yet again. However, what he did after the fight will surprise fans. Stepping out of the octagon without giving Joe Rogan a post-fight interview, Till was approached by Bruce Buffer who asked “Are you okay?” to which Till replied, “I have got a torn ACL”, to which Buffer retorted, “You want them to know that?”

Surprisingly, Till said, “No” before mouthing frustration as he walked away. This goes to show “The Gorilla’s” honour code, in the face of defeat.

Related- After an injury laden career and a loss at UFC 282, will Darren Till retire from MMA?

A brief look into Darren Till’s up and down UFC career

Darren Till (R) in action Stephen Thompson (R) [Image Source - Bloody Elbow]
Darren Till (R) in action Stephen Thompson (L) [Image Source – Bloody Elbow]

No one can dispute the fact that Darren Till once had all the makings of a UFC champion – one who would step out each time with the intention to enthrall the fans, not just keep the belt. However, things haven’t worked out for him.

Although he made his UFC debut in 2015, Darren Till’s peak came in 2018, when he was able to defeat Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in a packed Echo Arena in his hometown Liverpool. Straight off that win, he was given the title shot against then welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley. However against ‘The Chosen One,’ it looked as if it was a step too soon for the ‘The Gorilla’ as he was inundated on the ground by Woodley.

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In quick succession, he was given the chance to dispose of a growing in popularity Jorge Masvidal. This backfired as the Miami representative KO’d Till stiff. Although he did muster a win against Kelvin Gastelum, Till lost in succession to Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and finally, Dricus Du Plessis. From here on out, it seems like an uphill road for Darren Till to regain some of the form that made him a household name.

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