Darren Till was in pugilistic purgatory in the dying days of his UFC run. Once touted as the Scouse answer to Conor McGregor, Till in fact peaked on his path to a title shot, leaving a prophecy unfilled.
Following that early submission by Tyrone Woodley came an infamous knockout by Jorge Masvidal. Then there was the encouraging victory over Kelvin Gastelum, only for three straight losses to ensue: against Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and Dricus Du Plessis. Yet there was no shame in any of these defeats, so despite Till’s deteriorating form and injury issues, it was a shock when he announced he was leaving the UFC in 2023.
Till, just 30 at the time, insisted he departed the MMA promotion on good terms. He vowed not only to return one day, but to fulfil the prophecy that others had long dismissed: Darren Till, UFC champion.
• Watch Darren Till vs Darren Stewart LIVE on DAZN this Friday
But Till, now 32, might have found a different calling in the meantime.
Following a strange boxing outing last summer, an exhibition with Mohammad Mutie that ended in a brawl, Till made his professional debut in January. In that bout, under YouTube star KSI’s Misfits banner, Till dispatched Anthony Taylor, before bowing to an adoring Manchester crowd at the Co-op Live.
It seemed a rebirth for Till, yet he plays it down now, telling The Independent: “It was just another day at the office, but it was good to be back on the big stage, especially the Misfits stage. I’m a misfit, aren’t I? I have been my whole life, in the UFC, on social media. I’m probably the only real misfit, the only difference with me is: I can actually fight; all these others can't fight.” With that, he flashes a trademark grin with his Turkey teeth.
Taylor, though, was a stand-in. Till had been due to box Tommy Fury, half-brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson, until Tommy withdrew. When Fury cited Till’s threat to kick him in their boxing match, the bizarre excuse seemingly confirmed what the latter already knew.
“I said to my coach after the press conference, ‘He’ll pull out of the fight,’” Till says. “My coach said: ‘Make sure you make it public.’ And I said: ‘I don’t want to give it no energy.’ Then one day, I come in the gym, and he starts screaming [online] about how he’s pulled out. I don’t think the Furys have been seen since, so everyone in boxing should thank me, because you all got terrorised by the Furys for years. Then I come along and absolutely terrorise him. Every time any boxer sees me now, he wants to f*****g shake my hand. Everyone was sick of them.”
Next, however, Till mounts a surprising defence of Fury. “People give Tommy more s*** than I do,” he says. “I’ve got nothing bad to say about him in terms of his personal life. I don’t know Tommy, so I couldn’t comment on his characteristics or anything like that.”
Still, the Liverpudlian offers his own explanation for Fury’s withdrawal.
“I think when they accepted the fight, they heard I was out of camp and I was maybe a bit chubby, looking like a bit of a cake. Then when I got into camp, I think they heard how I am in the gym, because I know rumours fly. I spar with no head guard on, and when you’re coming to spar me, you better bring your f*****g balls with you, because I’m coming to take heads off.
“I think he was like: ‘Na, I don’t want none of that.’ But if that’s not the truth, then sound. All I know is he was very disrespectful in the manner he pulled out of the fight, and now he’s fighting in Budapest. What a comedown. He could’ve had it all with me; I was making us money on pay-per-view, we were gonna have a big fight, there probably could’ve been a rematch after I beat him.”
Fury won in Budapest on 9 May, outpointing the 5-1 Kenan Hanjalic to stay unbeaten. Ironically for Fury, there is more hype around Till’s next outing, as he faces fellow ex-UFC fighter Darren Stewart on Friday (16 May).
For Till, could this be the next rung on a surprising ladder to unforeseen heights in boxing? “My coach thinks I can turn pro and do well,” he says. “I’m gonna have to go off what he says, he’s trained many high-level pros. I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself, I like to keep feet on the ground. But look, I’m f*****g very good, put it that way,” he adds, flashing his ‘Turkey teeth’.
And what of that UFC return? “It depends on how life goes. I’ve always had good things to say about them, they’ve always liked me. I’m still only 32, so if I choose to go back in two years after I’ve damaged this boxing game... but I might not. I think everyone feels like I was destined to win a title, so maybe I’ve got to do it for them and myself. And they need me back in the UFC, because have you seen the state of it right now? My God, it’s on its arse. There are no superstars left, but that’s for another conversation.”
Until that conversation, Till looks to continue his escape from pugilistic purgatory.
Watch Darren Till face Darren Stewart at Misfits Boxing 21 on Friday night, live on DAZN from 7pm BST. Purchase a subscription to DAZN here, with plans starting at £14.99 a month.
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