Issue 190

May 2020

After his switch up to middleweight, many predicted Darren Till would struggle. Instead, he has prospered and is firmly on the front foot in his hunt for a title shot.

It’s fair to say 2019 didn’t start the way Darren Till planned, but come November the Liverpudlian was back on track and right in the UFC middleweight title mix.

Last March, Till headlined UFC Fight Night London for the first time in his career when he took on the returning Jorge Masvidal at the O2 Arena in the English capital. Many believed it would be the Scouser’s return to winning ways following his first career loss against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228, but it wasn’t to be. Till’s night ended in disaster when “Gamebred” shocked the world and silenced the partisan British crowd when he landed a beautiful combination to knock Till out cold in the second round.

After suffering that setback, the Englishman took some time away from the sport and decided to fix himself both physically and mentally. After six months on the sidelines, Till moved up to middleweight and returned to the Octagon at Madison Square Garden at UFC 244. Stood across the cage from him on fight night was none other than Kelvin Gastelum, a former title contender who pushed the champion Israel Adesanya to the brink.

After two losses in a row, many doubted Till would be able to survive Gastelum’s power and that it would be too much too soon for him at the new weight class. On fight night though Till put on a tactical masterclass and totally nullified Gastelum’s offense on his way to securing a clear unanimous decision win.

With that win, Till immediately put himself into the top five of the UFC’s middleweight division and a fight with another top-ranked contender looked set for the UFC 248 fight card in March. Unfortunately, the fight never came to fruition and the Liverpudlian explained why in a recent chat with Fighters Only.

“There was a point at the start of the year when the fight we wanted and the UFC wanted was [Jared] Cannonier in Las Vegas, but so much happened,” Till explained. “There were talks about my contract which took a few weeks to work out, but everyone always knew that would get sorted out eventually.

“The real thing blocking it was my visa problems. Cannonier had accepted the fight, but I couldn’t until that was resolved. As soon as my contract was sorted and we thought I could get a visa we accepted, but then Cannonier got injured. So that all went out the window.”

Cannonier getting injured wasn’t the end of Till’s pursuit to get on the UFC 248 fight card. With Adesanya and Yoel Romero fighting it out for the UFC middleweight title in the main event, the Liverpudlian knew that it would have been a great opportunity to be a backup and insert himself in the title picture.

“After Cannonier got injured I told Mick [Maynard] that I would do anything to be the backup of that fight,” Till said. “I didn’t even think that anyone would miss weight or anything. I just wanted to be there, in the front row and be talked about in and around those guys. It would’ve been great to do that, but as everyone knows, that went to s*** as well.”

Despite fighting in America last November, it’s widely known that Till has been having issues getting a visa to fight in America. Rumor has it that Dana White called in favors from people in very high places to get Till into the country for UFC 244, but a longer-term solution will be required for him to make fighting in America regularly a realistic possibility.

Till went on to explain the root cause of the problem and he’s hopeful that the matter will be solved as early as mid-March this year.

“I’ll be honest, I want to fight in America from now on,” Till said. “I want to start to create my market out there. I think I’m already well known, but I want to start making big waves over there.

“I always tell the truth and the root of this all lies in a previous ESTA I completed. My girlfriend put ‘No’ on the form when I should’ve put ‘Yes.’ That’s the whole reason why [I’ve got issues]. When I had a visa for the Woodley fight, I had to renew my passport and I threw the old one away. I didn’t know you had to transfer your visas. Now I’ve had to reapply for it and that’s where the root of the problem lies.”

It’s fair to say that the UFC 248 main event between Adesanya and Romero failed to ignite the way some had hoped. Adesanya’s calculated and cautious approach combined with Romero’s lack of activity didn’t make for the most scintillating 25 minutes, but given most men’s capabilities, it was understandable that both of them approached each other with caution.

Till himself has often joked on social media about his fear of Romero’s physical form, but some fans have failed to recognize the Scouser’s tongue-in-cheek humor. With Cannonier out for an extended duration, Romero could realistically be Till’s next opponent and it’s a fight he wouldn’t be turning down.

“I think people are starting to get on to me with this,” Till said regarding his ‘fear’ of Romero. “You know what people are like in this society that we live in. Everyone just takes things so literally. People get offended for other people, it’s so stupid. I honestly do still think there’s that 30 percent of people that believe I’m afraid of another man. It’s just silly, isn’t it? How can you be in this sport and be scared about being locked in a cage with another man? Don’t believe everything you read.”

Though it won’t probably be his next fight, Till is relishing a future showdown with Adesanya. The two met for the first time at a press conference in Los Angeles in 2018 and since then they’ve kept in contact via social media. The relationship between them now is cordial, but if Till gets his way they will be locked inside a cage together to fight it out for the UFC middleweight title at an epic venue in his hometown.

“Let’s be honest, me facing Adesanya would be the biggest spectacle in the middleweight division,” Till said. “I think everybody in the MMA community knows that fight would be incredible. I truly believe that Adesanya and I will fight at Anfield [home of Liverpool football club]. I just know that’s going to happen.

“I know the UFC has come out and said this is a problem and that’s a problem, but they used to say the same thing about the Echo Arena. We did that. Everything is possible and everything can be manifested. I will not stop until I get that night at Anfield and Adesanya would be the biggest fight I can get.”

A title fight at Anfield would undoubtedly be the biggest event in UK MMA history. Till previously brought the UFC to Liverpool for the first time, but packing the legendary stands at Anfield would be on an entirely different level.

“No one has done it before and I care about that,” Till said. “The spectacle that would create in my city and my country, there’s been nothing like it before. I truly believe we can bring that fight to Anfield.

“Imagine me coming out to the tune [You’ll Never Walk Alone] at Anfield. Imagine that scene,” he continued. “That fight would go worldwide, not just the UK. We’ve never seen anything like that in the UFC. It would capture the imagination of not just MMA fans, but football fans. It’s going to happen.”

For the minute, Till will have to wait on the sidelines for his next opponent. Since the start of 2020, Till has been working hard in the gym and putting in the effort for all his fellow teammates at Team Kaobon. Having been a recipient of all their best efforts over the past few years, giving back to them and helping them succeed is something that is as equally important to him.

“It’s been great just being able to be in the gym and help out the other lads,” Till said. “The last two months for me have just been spent on making sure they are ready for their fights. We had the Probellum show and UFC London within a few weeks of one another in March.

“Helping Mike [Grundy] and Tom [Aspinall] prepare for their fights in London was amazing,” he added. “Over the years they have given me so much of their effort so it was only right I give them all of my attention and make sure I’m there to give them the rounds of sparring that they need. These two are going to tear it up in the UFC.”

Back in the 2000s, Team Kaobon had a roster full of UFC fighters with the likes of Paul Kelly, Paul Sass, Paul Taylor, Mick Scanlon, Andy Ogle, and Terry Etim making up an impressive stable of fighters making an impact on the world stage under head coach Colin Heron. Till believes it won’t be long before the current crop of fighters at the gym make a similar impact in the UFC.

“The team is back. Team Kaobon is back where it belongs,” Till said. “Back in the day, we had like five or six fighters in the UFC like Terry Etim, etc. We’re getting to the same thing now. I think I’m there at the top, but all these guys are coming up now and I think it’ll just be a matter of time before one or two more of these guys join us in the UFC.

“I think Tom will put a few wins together and then the top 10 won’t be far off for him. Grundy will do the same thing and before you know it, I’ve won the UFC middleweight title and our team has a load of other top UFC contenders.

Outside of his fighting career, Till has plenty going on. With two daughters already and another expected in March this year, the Liverpudlian is working hard to secure the best future possible for his growing family.

Probellum MMA is one of Till’s side projects and it’s something he takes great pride in. Founded in 2019, the MMA promotion has been backed by boxing management outfit MTK Global with shows already taking place in Dubai and Liverpool. It’s a project that Till sees as complementary but one that he’s hoping will go on to big things.

“Colin [Heron] my head coach and my good friend John Gillies are involved and we have good backing,” Till said. “I think Probellum is just doing something different to all the other promotions. The way it’s being produced and the way it looks, I think it’s unique. We’re just trying to build it at the moment.

“We’ve had big names already on our cards,” he continued. “Ross Pearson fought last year and we had Paul Kelly fighting in Liverpool in March. Whether you like Paul’s story or not, he was a big name and I think he deserves a chance. I’m really glad Probellum was able to give him that. Who knows? Maybe in 20 years, I’ll be able to sell my stake in Probellum for billions of dollars. I think I know someone who did something like that.”

At 27 years of age, the finishing line is nowhere near in sight for the Englishman, but he knows that day will come. What he does when he hangs up the 4oz. gloves is yet to be determined, though he knows he will remain in the sport.

“I see myself retiring in like seven years or so when I’m 35,” Till said. “I want to be a double-weight world champion by then and I truly believe I will be. I’ll have hopefully made the right investments by then and then won’t have to work, but I’ll still be around the gym and the sport.

“I might open my own branch of Team Kaobon or I might stay here at Team Kaobon. One thing I know is that I always want to be involved in MMA until the end of my days. There’s nothing else I love doing. My heart is invested in Team Kaobon. This sport has a buzz like nothing else.”

As he gets older, Till isn’t afraid to change up his training. Having made the move up to 185 pounds, the Liverpudlian started doing structured strength and conditioning training for the first time in his career. It’s fair to say he thinks it’s paying dividends and that he’s working with some of the best in the business.

“I’ve changed little things recently and one of those is going to the gym twice a week to do strength and conditioning,” Till said. “I’m enjoying it a lot. I can feel myself getting stronger, faster, and more explosive. The guy I train with is called Paul and he’s old school. He doesn’t believe in all this new bulls***. He does things his way and everyone in the city knows he gets results. Everyone I speak to will say ‘the only time I ever vomited working out was when I was training with Paul.’ He makes you work very hard, but the results are incredible.”

For better or worse, Till has never been one to censor himself. Though some of the things he’s said in the media have been criticized, he’s never shied away from being himself and wearing his heart on his sleeve.

“I’m a walking contradiction me,” Till said. “My girlfriend was telling me this the other day: I’m either 0 percent in or 100 percent in. If I’m going to love you, then I’m going to love you 100 percent. If I’m going to train, then I’m going to train 100 percent.

“I’m so different to say someone like Grundy. He eats to the calorie. I might not do that, but I train 100 percent and I go hard. I don’t go to the gym not to graft and that’s exactly what I’m doing. At the moment I’m happy training and living a small life. We all have problems. We all have them. I maybe shouldn’t have said some of the things in the past, but my focus now is training, helping my team, and cracking on with this mad life that I live.”

After losing twice in succession to Woodley and then Masvidal, Till came under scrutiny for the first time in his career. Whilst others might have folded under the public pressure from the spotlight and those saying he should change, Till chose to continue to pursue what he knows best: being himself.

Whilst he understands why some of the public may have doubted him following his troubles, he never for one minute thought about changing his approach.

“I lost two fights and then allegedly robbed a taxi in Tenerife. Yeah, I think it’s fair to say a few people lost a little bit of faith in me,” Till said with a laugh. “The thing is, I think last year I just started being more honest and I think that’s the best way to be with people. I honestly couldn’t give a f*** what most people think about me. I’ll tell you what’s on my mind. I’m not social media-trained like all of these fighters are. I just tell it like it is and you’ll either love that or hate it. That’s up to you.

“This is just how I am. I think people respect the fact that I’m just being myself. Do you remember when Diego Sanchez was having a go for saying I was scared? I don’t give a f*** what he thinks. If he wants to do something about it, come do it. I’m not afraid of no man … apart from Yoel, of course. But seriously, people can take me as I am. I’m not being anything else.”

So, what happens next? If it was up to Till, he’d fight Adesanya at Anfield, but for the minute at least that looks like it will have to happen further down the line. The UFC appears to have other ideas for the Liverpudlian’s short-term future, but the goal of showing he’s the best middleweight in the world will always be at the forefront of his mind.

“I think I’ll be out in May,” Till said. “Potentially we’ve talked about Dublin and being the main event in Ireland, but whatever, I’m just focused on one thing.

“Izzy and Yoel are the top tier but make no mistake about it, I’m the best,” he added. “I’m going to prove that this year. I’m going to show I’m the best middleweight in the world. You can count on that.”