Darren Till wasted his potential in the UFC

Years ago, Darren Till seemed to have every possible ingredient needed to become a superstar. The UFC had put all of its eggs in his basket, and the MMA community was convinced that they were about to witness something special. However, 11 years since his UFC debut, and Till is no longer part of the promotion. His stint lasted just three years, during which he failed to become a champion or even a big star.

Now, he's linked to a boxing match with Jake Paul, of all people, and hasn't faced serious competition in years. Just how far has he fallen?

Darren Till: The rise of 'The Gorilla'

On May 9, 2015, Darren Till had his last MMA fight outside of the UFC. He defeated Laerte Costa at MMA Sanda Combat, TKO'ing him in round four to improve his record to 12-0. It was Till's 8th knockout/TKO, and his then 10th overall finish. Weeks later, the biggest opportunity of his young career came knocking when he stepped in on short-notice at UFC Fight Night 67. An injury had forced TJ Waldburger out of a fight with Wendell Oliveira, and 'The Gorilla' was more than happy to take his place. He had nothing to lose. He was an underdog heading into the bout and would have an excuse in his backpocket if he lost. After all, he took the fight on just 21 days' notice.

Only, Till didn't lose.

In fact, he dominated Oliveira, chewing his legs up with low kicks and blasting his midsection with round kicks throughout round one. Oliveira was aggressive with his pressure, but failed to land anything meaningful and his only success was in controlling Till in the clinch against the fence. In round two, Till found his rhythm, making Oliveira miss, while sniping him with kicks and left hands, even scoring takedowns, one of which was a slick counter-takedown. Oliveira had caught a bodykick and tried to drive forward with a single-leg, only for Till to get an overhook on one arm, push against Oliveira's bicep with his other hand, and turn his own hips for a clever inside trip. Oliveira landed on his stomach, but Till wasted no time in assuming top position, before knocking him out cold with brutal elbows from the top.

The win drew so much hype that it convinced the UFC to pit him against another undefeated prospect in Nicolas Dalby, who was 14-0 at the time. It was both men's sophomore UFC fights and the clash happened at UFC Fight Night 76 in Dublin, Ireland. It was the closest to home soil Till had ever fought at the time, as none of his previous bouts had been in England or Ireland, only in Brazil. Till had no shortage of confidence heading into the bout, claiming that Dalby was terrified of him, before promising to knock him out. When both men finally met inside the octagon, it seemed like Till's words weren't just bluster and arrogance, at least in round one. He quickly found a home for his straight left, while also slamming round kicks into Dalby's midsection.

Dalby wasn't completely out of the game, landing shots of his own. Enough to show signs of life in a round that ended with Till knocking him down with a crushing uppercut. Round two was more of the same, at first. Till was too slick on the feet, turning Dalby into a wrestler. The Dane scored a takedown, but it was still a Till round. Round three, however, was a complete U-turn. Dalby rocked Till on the feet with a head kick, starting a sequence where he cracked him with combination after combination. Eventually, Till gassed and Dalby continued to land, before taking him down and landing brutal ground-and-pound on a spent Till, who miraculously survived. In the end, the fight ended in a majority draw in what was a wake up call for Till.

He returned to winning ways in his next two fights, beating Jessin Ayari and Bojan Veličković via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 109 and UFC Fight Night 115, though Till had missed weight for the Ayari fight. It would not be his last time failing on the welterweight scale. The wins earned him a crack at a legendary action fighter in Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 118. It was 'The Gorilla's' first-ever main event. More than that, it was a very winnable fight against a high-profile name. Cerrone's poor head movement and tall stance made him the perfect target for Till's left hand. Not to mention he was also an ex-lightweight on a losing streak and about to face a welterweight whose true home was middleweight.

Naturally, Till TKO'd him in round one. It was his most impressive performance at the time, and enough for the UFC to book him in a title eliminator against Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson at UFC Liverpool. It would be his first time fighting in his hometown, and it would be against one of the greatest strikers in UFC history. Unfortunately, things didn't get off to a great start, as Till missed weight for the second time in his career. Come fight night though, none of it mattered when he walked out to one of the loudest crowd receptions in UFC history. As 'Sweet Caroline' played throughout the Echo Arena, over 8,000 fans in attendance serenaded him all the way into the octagon.

It was the kind of reception that would have made Conor McGregor proud. Unfortunately, the fight itself didn't produce the dynamic striking match everyone had hoped for. Instead, it was a low output chess match, with the only defining moment being Till scoring a knockdown in round five. It was enough for him to win a unanimous decision, which he quickly overshadowed with a brash post-fight interview, trashing all of his detractors and calling out the entire welterweight division. It was clear that a title shot was next.

Darren Till: A disappointing decline

After UFC Liverpool, Darren Till was on top of the world. He had captured the imagination of English fans desperate for a champion to take Michael Bisping's place as his successor. After all, he was a loud, confident trash-talker with the luster of an undefeated record, a dynamite left hand, and a Scouser accent that the average UFC fan found unique at the time. So, the UFC cashed in big and strapped a rocket ship to his back. He had proven himself against a former two-time welterweight title challenger in Stephen Thompson. Now, it was his turn to take on the great Tyron Woodley, who was on a strong championship run as the welterweight kingpin. The two were booked for UFC 228, which was set up as Till's coronation as the next big thing.

When he made his walkout, all 14,000 fans in Dallas, Texas serenaded him. This was it. All of Till's dreams about becoming a world champion at the highest level were about to be realized. Except, they weren't. When he and Woodley locked horns inside the octagon, Till threw next to nothing, landing only one strike. He just couldn't get going, and it didn't take long for Woodley to floor him with a big right hand early in round two. The champion pounced with ground-and-pound, smashing Till with a barrage of elbows, before forcing him to tap out to a D'Arce choke. It was a stunning loss. Till looked like a fish out of water and had absolutely nothing for Woodley. The UFC, perhaps, had pushed him too far too soon. So, the next fight would be an easier one, or so they thought.

After his first professional loss, Till was booked to take on Jorge Masvidal, a journeyman and former lightweight on a two-fight losing streak. To make things even more comfortable for Till, the fight would be on English soil, in London. The two men clashed at UFC Fight Night 147, an event the UFC promoted only with Till in mind. Despite having a strong start to the fight, even dropping Masvidal with a straight left, a return to form wasn't in the cards. In round two, Masvidal landed a shifting combination that knocked Till out cold. It was the beginning of Till's fall, and the start of a historic three-fight win streak for Masvidal, who seemed to absorb whatever remained of Till's star power.

The loss spelled the end of Till's welterweight run, and he subsequently moved up to middleweight, debuting against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244. By now, the hype surrounding Till had died, and he was just another roster-member with a big name. The fight with Gastelum was a timid affair on his part. He had been finished twice in back-to-back fights and was wary of Gastelum's power. He managed to win a split-decision, but his next three fights were the last pages of his chapter in the UFC. He faced Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Island 3, losing a competitive bout via unanimous decision, before suffering submission losses to Derek Brunson and Dricus du Plessis at UFC Vegas 36 and UFC 282.

Not only was Till now 1-5 in his last six fights, but he was coming into each fight in progressively worse shape. His body, by then, was shot, with multiple surgeries to repair torn ligaments in his knees. He just didn't have it anymore. He was not the next Conor McGregor, hadn't become a world champion, and just couldn't cut it in the UFC anymore. So, in a move that shocked many... he requested his release from the UFC. A request that was granted. He was damaged goods. Since his departure, Till has not competed in MMA at all.

Instead, he did the unthinkable by taking part in boxing matches against over-the-hill MMA legends like Luke Rockhold, outright bums like Darren Stewart, Anthony Taylor, and Mohammad Mutie, before eventually transitioning to bareknuckle boxing to face barely-known fighters like Aaron Chalmers, and a 49-year-old Yoel Romero who has completely given up on fighting anyone even remotely good. To Till's credit, he has won all of his boxing matches and bareknuckle boxing bouts. His level of competition, though, is forgettable.

He didn't leave the UFC to rebuild himself elsewhere and return with a vengeance. Instead, he completely abandoned any possibility of fighting at the highest level, and now? He's linked to a possible fight with Jake Paul, an influencer boxer. Someone that the old Till, who still dreamed of winning a UFC title, would have trash-talked anyone for facing. But that's not who he is anymore.