Former title challenger and fan favourite, Darren Till has been removed from the UFC roster per a reliable source on Twitter. The Liverpudlian is 1-5 in his last six fights, suffering four finish losses. His most recent came in December when he was finished by Dricus du Plessis via rear naked choke.
❌ Fighter removed: Darren Till
— UFC Roster Watch (@UFCRosterWatch) February 28, 2023
Hard times
After an impressive rise, The Gorilla not only bought the UFC to Liverpool but realised a title shot. Undefeated at the time, sitting at 17-0-1, Till challenged then-champion, Tyron Woodley for the 170lbs strap. It was well documented that Till constantly had brutal weight cuts to make welterweight and after suffering a submission loss to Woodley followed by a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Jorge Masvidal, Till decided that a move up to middleweight might bring more fortune.
After debuting against Kelvin Gastelum at MSG and picking up a win, there was a potential that Till could recapture his lost form, go on a run and make a title push. A fantasy match-up between two elite strikers, Till and the champion, Israel Adesanya lead to fans salivating.
However, after a main event loss to Robert Whittaker, Till took a year out due to injuries. He returned against Derek Brunson but came in flat, seemingly unmotivated and put in the worst performance of his career. Brunson dominated the Brit, outlanding him 101-28.
Next came last a tough test in the in-form Dricus du Plessis and it appeared too much for Till. His takedown defence still appeared questionable. Despite sitting at 69%, he was again exposed in this area, leading to another submission loss.
Till appeared to confirm this news on his Twitter.
What’s happening everyone,
Me, Dana & Hunter are still cool as fuck.
I asked UFC 2 remove me just 2 sort some other shit for the foreseeable,
They happily agreed to release me out of contract which I appreciate.
I’m not going anywhere, got big plans to execute & I’ll be back. 🦍— D (@darrentill2) March 1, 2023
As for what’s next, at this point it’s unsure. He’s above the regional level but if he has ambitions of coming back to the UFC, he won’t go to a rival promotion. Maybe he’ll just leave the organisation temporarily, at this point we’re unsure.
