Darren Till plans hiatus from the UFC after loss to Dricus du Plessis, shoots down ‘Stupid’ retirement calls

Former undisputed UFC welterweight title challenger, Darren Till has revealed he is planning to take a hiatus from the Octagon following last night’s third round submission loss to Dricus du Plessis on the main card of UFC 282, however, insisted he would not be retiring from mixed martial arts. 

Returning for the first time since September of last year, Till entered last night’s clash with du Plessis, off the back of a pair of losses against Derek Brunson, and former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker.

Clashing with South African finisher, du Plessis last night at the T-Mobile Arena, Till was almost finished at the Octagon fence in the opening exchanges of the first round, receiving notable punishment both on the feet and with ground strikes.

Mustering a rally in the second frame, Till would ultimately, however, drop a submission loss midway through the third and final round, with du Plessis latching onto a rear-naked choke. 

Darren Till shoots down talk of a potential retirement from MMA

With the Team Kaobon native’s future up in the air of the back of his now third consecutive loss in the organization, Till admitted he would likely take some time away from the sport, however, baulked at suggestions of a “stupid” retirement. 

“You don’t always get what you want in this life,” Darren Till said in a video following UFC 282. “It’s tough. F*cking – I’m 29 now, I’ve been at the top of this sport since 2017, i entered into the UFC back in 2015. I’m doing this video ‘cause I feel like you should do it now. The right time’s now – I’m not retiring. This is not a retirement speech. I’m 29. That would be stupid to retire.”

“I’m on a bit of a losing skid at the moment, I really am,” Darren Till explained. “…Whether you love me or hate me, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do properly. I think I’m gonna have a little time off from the UFC, I don’t know. And just rethink stuff. I’m not retiring – I want to fight soon, next year. But I just wanna spend Christmas now with my family. Hope youse loved it, peace out.” 

Without a victory since his middleweight division debut back in November 2019, Till managed to hand former interim title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum a close, split decision triumph in New York City.