Darren Till has admitted that he’s been left dismayed after having to pull out of his fight next weekend of UFC London, and has compared his ongoing struggles to Tyson Fury when he fell into depression between 2016 and 2018.
The Liverpool-born fighter was set to face fellow middleweight hopeful Jack Hermansson in the co-main event on July 23rd, but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a knee injury he picked up in his training camp.
Speaking on Blockasset’s Blockparty podcast, Till opened up on his thoughts: “It’s just so frustrating at this point in my career, man. I’m happy for the way English MMA is going. To see all these up-and-comers, Tom [Aspinall], Paddy [Pimblett], Muhammad [Mokaev], all these guys,
“I’m so happy to see them in the position they’re in but it’s so f*cking frustrating for me at the same time because I know my potential. I’m not downing anyone, but I’m the f*cking best out there and I know that.”
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‘The Gorilla’ has struggled in recent years with fitness and form, and has a record of being open with his battles against himself as well as opponents. He was forced to pull out of a fight against Marvin Vettori last year and another bout against Jack Hermansson the year before. It’s never seemed to be the right time for Darren, despite his hard work and his determination to fight.
The mental stress of dealing with physical injury made more difficult by the spotlight of fame
Full conversation with Darren Till is here with @Blockassetco 👉🏻
On the podcast hosted by BT Sport’s Adam Catterall, Till compared his recent issues to those of Tyson Fury when he suffered with depression, suicidal thoughts and weight issues before making a glorious comeback to fight Deontay Wilder, which later turned into an epic trilogy.
“I feel like I’m in a Tyson Fury moment. Remember when he was going through that depressed stage? I feel like that’s where I’m at now. I’m not drinking and taking drugs – that’s not my way. But I still feel like that,” Till said.
“Honestly, I’m not about that new age of, ‘Oh, I’m depressed,’ mental health and all that bullsh*t. I come from a different era. But it just makes you feel so f*cking low, sh*t like this.”
The middleweight has won just one fight in his last five, defeating Kelvin Gastelum via split decision in his first fight at 185lbs, but since then has lost to Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson, with both fighters going on to have title fights following wins over Till.
The Scouser is still an attractive prospect in the UFC, and hopefully he gets another chance to prove his worth to the organisation soon. UFC London gets underway next weekend and Darren will no doubt be supporting his fellow fighters from his city, as Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann return to the O2 Arena for the second time this year.
*18+ | BeGambleAware
