Darren Till Admits He May Not Be Able To Meet Wonderboy’s Terms
Darren Till isn’t sure he’ll be able to meet Stephen Thompson’s terms for their main event at tomorrow’s (Sun., May 27, 2018) UFC Liverpool from the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
After Till missed weight by 3.5 pounds for their anticipated headliner earlier today, Thompson set forth his terms for accepting the bout, which included Till forfeiting 30 percent of his purse to Wonderboy and him weighing under 188 pounds at 1 p.m. the day of the bout.
Till had a family emergency that took place as the weigh-ins were about to begin, prompting the presiding officials to give him an extra hour to check in for them. He still missed the mark, however, casting a shadow over the UFC’s initial event in his hometown.
In an exclusive interview with MMAjunkie, Till apologized for the weight miss and explained what happened in terms of his family situation. In terms of meeting Thompson’s demands, Till said he actually offered his whole fight purse:
“There’s never no excuse for missing weight,” Till told MMAjunkie. “I always say it: When you fight, and you lose a fight, there’s no excuse. You lose. Same with the battle with the scales. This time I lost, and there’s no excuse. I know that the UFC said why I missed and gave some information. When I started cutting weight I got an emergency call. It was a family matter. I just had to go to the hospital there and back. I only had five kilos (11 pounds) to go. Usually I have six, seven. I was running. I was OK. I was fine. And I tried to get in the sauna, tried to get in the steam, I tried to do a bath. It just wasn’t happening. I was knackered.
“I missed weight, and I’m truly embarrassed by it, but the fight’s still on hopefully. I’ve got to weigh in again tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes. I know they’re very adamant I’ve got to weigh a certain weight. The ball’s in their court.
“Listen, I offered 100 percent of my purse. Money is no object. Money will come sooner than later. I offered 100 percent.”
While he may have offered his full purse, he isn’t sure he’ll be able to make it to the fight below 188 pounds as Thompson’s camp desires. He clarified that he had already begun rehydrating, and with him being arguably the biggest 170-pound fighter in the UFC, it just may be unhealthy for him to do so:
“They were adamant I had to weigh in 83-85 kilo (182-187 pounds), which just – it’s bad for me health,” Till said. “We’ll see what happens in the morning when I weigh. I’ve already started drinking. I’ve already started filling back up. We’ll see. I’m sure the fight’s on. I’ll have to pass medicals, and I’ll have to train tonight or tomorrow. But I’m mentally prepared for anything. Nothing gets to me in this life. If I do have to train in the morning to make the weight and cut again, I’ll do it.
“Eighty-five kilo tomorrow morning is not enough. It’s not that it’s not enough. I just put weight on so quick. I’ve got a slow metabolism. I just started drinking before, and it went up like that. So, we’ll see. It could be a mind game. If I have to make the weight, I’ll make it.”
With the pressure on for him to weigh below the demanded limit, Till knows he’s in a compromising spot in a fight that he called the main focus of his entire life to the point he’s largely avoided his family and friends as of late. All the hate is pouring in right now, something he knew would happen, but Till said that once he makes his way to the octagon tomorrow, his usual confidence will be restored:
“When I make my entrance and walk in that cage, that confidence is back,” Till said. “I just honestly don’t give a (expletive) about anything. I haven’t spoken to my daughter in a week; I haven’t FaceTime’d because my mind’s been on this. I haven’t shown affection or love to anyone. My friends don’t know me anymore because I’m just not asked. Tomorrow my confidence is back, but for now, humble Darren is here.
“I’m truly gutted that I missed weight, but all I can say to the fans is don’t hate on me too much. Because I know I’m going to get hate now.”
