Fellow United Kingdom product Michael Bisping alleges that UFC Vegas 36 headliner Darren Till tore his ACL weeks before he lost to Derek Brunson this past weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, Till (18-4) and Brunson (23-7) clashed in a main event battle of top-seven UFC middleweights. It was a pivotal matchup in the division as the winner would likely push their name towards the front of the title contender line. After three rounds of action, Brunson’s wrestling prowess proved too effective, and he forced his English opponent to tap out. It was a devastating third defeat in Till’s last four Octagon appearances.
However, it seems “The Gorilla” entered the fight with a serious knee injury that could have been a major factor in his disappointing performance. In an interview with “>BT Sport [h /t MMAJunkie], Bisping, a former UFC middleweight champion and broadcast announcer for the card, said he learned after the bout that the former welterweight was dealing with a torn ACL for the majority of his fight camp.
Darren Till injured knee 10 weeks before UFC Vegas 36 says, Michael Bisping
I went backstage to see Darren after the fight. He was very disappointed, of course, but he’s a man. He was holding it together. He was frustrated, and understandably so. I spent about 30 minutes with him and [head coach] Colin Heron, just talking to him and giving him some advice. Perhaps I’m breaking guy code here, but there was an injury coming into that fight. He tore his ACL about 10 weeks ago and he never mentioned it,” Bisping said.
It’s an excuse, it’s a reason, whatever you want to call it. He never mentioned it, and I’m sure Derek had problems, as well. But certainly with that kind of injury – and he said he was having all kinds of medical treatment leading up to the fight – of course, with that injury, it would’ve hampered his performance. But still, you can’t take away from Derek Brunson on that night. Darren chose to step in.
Fighters competing with injuries, even serious ones, are commonplace in mixed martial arts. A sport where few fighters are earning six figures and up paychecks, and quite a few even compete without health insurance coverage. Leaving them to fight hurt, and have the promotion pay for post-fight medical expenses.
Till, 28, is a former welterweight title challenger. Since his championship loss to Tyron Woodley in 2018, he has lost three of his last four bouts and is now 1-2 in his new home in the middleweight division. Following the loss, he fell one spot to number eight in the division rankings.
What are your thoughts on TIll allegedly competing with a torn ACL?
