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Darren Till suffered his third consecutive defeat in the UFC after being submitted by Dricus du Plessis in the third round at UFC 282.
'The Gorilla' took just over a year off from competing after a crushing defeat to Dereck Brunson at UFC Fight Night 191. The Scouser hoped to alter the current trajectory of his career with a trademark performance against du Plessis.
However, after being defeated for the third time in a row and possibly tearing his ACL, Till has announced that he will be stepping away from the UFC for the time being. 'The Gorilla' took to Instagram to announce his decision and clarified that this was in no way a retirement speech:
"I'm doing this video because I feel like you should do it... The right time's now. I'm not retiring, this is not a retirement speech. I'm 29, that would be stupid. But, I'm on a bit of a losing skid at the moment, I really am... I don't know what to do properly but I think I'm gonna have a bit time off from the UFC, and just rethink stuff."
Watch the video below:
Since Darren Till's move from welterweight to middleweight in 2019, he has gone 1-3 in the UFC. 'The Gorilla' stated that he was in the best shape of his career heading into this bout and claimed that he could even see himself fighting at 170 lbs again during his pre-fight press conference.
Despite his height, Till appears to struggle with the level of physicality when grappling with fighters at middleweight. If 'The Gorilla' is able to manage his weight responsibly, a move back down to 170 lbs could work in his favor.
Dricus du Plessis believes Darren Till is too small to fight at 185 lbs
Dricus du Plessis was able to secure the biggest win of his career against Darren Till at UFC 282 after he submitted the Scouser in the third round. The fight was evenly contested on the feet, but 'Stillknocks' had a clear advantage in the grappling department. After securing an explosive takedown in round 3, du Plessis was able to get to Till's back before finishing him with a choke.
During du Plessis' post-fight press conference, he stated that Darren Till should move down to welterweight if he wants to rekindle the success he felt early in his career:
"I do believe that if he wants to be successful he needs to fight at welterweight. I honestly felt that tonight... He is not strong enough or big enough to fight at middleweight."
Watch the video below from 1:55:
