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Dana White has shed some light on the reasons Darren Till and the UFC parted ways.
Last month, it was announced that Till had been released from his UFC contract despite having a number of fights remaining. The news was both understandable and a shock to some fans, given the 30-year-old's recent performances but good standing with the UFC brass.
The Liverpudlian suffered a torrid time in the octagon as of late, with the latest performance coming at UFC 282. Till lost to Dricus Du Plessis via a third-round submission, his fifth defeat in his last six UFC appearances. His last win came in 2019 against Kelvin Gastelum.
Following UFC 285's stunning card last weekend, Dana White sat down with the press and answered questions about the decision to release Darren Till. According to White, the 30-year-old was not cut from the roster, and they instead granted his release after he asked:
"Like Darren Till said, we have an incredible relationship with him. We like him and respect him very much. He's not the only guy that's ever come to us and said they just can't compete here anymore. He did ask for his release and we did release him."
On 'The Gorilla' potentially returning to the UFC, White said:
"I don't know what his plans are for outside the UFC, but he's a guy we've had a relationship with and we really like him... If he gets to the level where he thinks he's ready to come back to the UFC, we'd probaby do it."
Catch Dana White's comments here:
Darren Till explains why he asked for his release from the UFC
Darren Till was once tipped as a future UFC champion after debuting in 2015 and going unbeaten in his first six fights in the promotion. 'The Gorilla' was then rushed into the title scene against then-welterweight champion Tyron Woodley but was submitted in the second round.
Till's loss to Woodley was the beginning of the end for the 30-year-old Scouser as he won only one and lost four of his next five fights. Amongst those losses was a bout against Robert Whittaker, where Till suffered a knee injury that continues to plague him.
In an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Till explained that he has had continuous knee issues since losing to Whittaker and his decision to leave the UFC was to receive treatment that likely wouldn't have passed USADA testing:
"I want to get some injections in my knee and really take care of my knees. Some of the stuff I want to inject into my knee, am I going to pass some of these [UFC anti-doping drug] tests? There are a lot of hurdles. Maybe I'll get [knee] surgery."
Catch Till's interview here:
