Two years ago, UFC Darren Till was 17-0-1, coming off wins over Cowboy Cerrone and Stephen Thompson, as he headed into a title shot vs. then welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Till got darsed in the second, and next got KO’d by Jorge Masvidal in the fight of the night. He then moved up to middleweight and got a Split Decision over Kelvin Gastelum, before losing a Unanimous Decision to Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC on ESPN 14 on July 25.
During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, “The Gorilla” remained undeterred.
I don’t think it’s a matter of how long it takes, said Till. I don’t know, I have no goal. I think when the time’s ready – I know what I was put on this earth for, no one can convince me otherwise. I was put on this earth to be a champion in the UFC and be a future GOAT, so when it happens, it’s going to happen. Until then, I’m just going to enjoy my last few days here [on Fight Island in Dubia], and then I’m going to look forward to my next fight.
“I just want to fight, I just want to be the best. I can’t do anything else. I will not be able to retire if I don’t become one of the best. … I have to do it, I’ve got to do it, and I’m so determined and convinced. I’m going to train harder, and I’m going to be more vicious and violent as ever.
Till also addressed the torn ACL he suffered in Round 2 of the Whittaker fight; it will not need surgery.
When people give excuses and stuff over little things in life and the weight cuts or whatever, it just doesn’t cohere with me, he said. You either win a fight or you lose a fight. There ain’t no ifs, buts, whats. Yeah, if my knee was a little bit better, maybe things would have been a bit different, but it was a 3-2 fight for him or 3-2 fight for me, so I haven’t left that fight thinking anything.
He was the former champ. A few more fights, and I am going to be the champion. I want that. I see all these – when you’re doing your chats with DC and he’s calling Khabib the GOAT, I love seeing that because it makes me thrive to one day have my name mentioned like that. People could watch this now and be like, ‘Yeah, whatever Till,’ and people will be like, ‘Yeah, Till’s definitely going to be a GOAT,’ but it’s just what I set out to do. Step by step, I’m proving it, and I’m a high-level fighter. I’m a high-level striker in MMA.
youtube.com/watch?v=efspuw04Fp0
h/t Farah Hannoun for MMA Junkie
