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Darren Till has never lacked headlines. Unfortunately, over the past few years, the Englishman hasn't garnered attention for positive reasons. At one point in time, he was an undefeated welterweight surging through the division. Back then, the UFC was certain that 'The Gorilla' was an MMA superstar in the making.
Many heralded him as a future world champion. His first attempt came against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 but it ended in abject failure. Afterwards, 'The Gorilla' fell victim to a rough patch. Not only did he lose five of his next six bouts, but he has been riddled with injuries since.
The series of injuries he suffered have drastically cut down the frequency of his fights. It all came to a head as Darren Till was released from the UFC last week. While it has been revealed that he requested the release himself, fans are curious to know what the Englishman will do next. This list explores five of his options.
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#5. Darren Till faces Mike Perry at BKFC
The history between Darren Till and Mike Perry is well-documented. In the past, the pair were UFC welterweights that fans expected would one day cross paths. The two men traded barbs on social media, made memes about each other and generally taunted one another.
While 'Platinum' threatened to kick his rival's mom in the face, 'The Gorilla' created an entire website dedicated to mocking the American power-puncher. While their feud died down after Perry left the UFC, there's a chance they could rekindle it in BKFC.
Bare-knuckle boxing's premier promotion is without a defining rivalry to draw in more fans. After 'Platinum' faces Luke Rockhold in April, 'The Gorilla' could make his BKFC debut to face him.
#4. Darren Till could box Tyron Woodley
Tyron Woodley was the first man to hand Darren Till a loss in the latter's professional MMA career. The pair squared off at UFC 228 for the welterweight throne. While fans expected a competitive bout, it was anything but. 'The Chosen One' was completely dominant.
He scored a knockdown en route to beating his foe in the second round via a brabo choke. Till's career hasn't been the same since. To be fair, neither has Woodley's as the former champion lost his subsequent four bouts. The two men have been on two career downswings ever since.
Given Tyron Woodley's recent foray into boxing after a pair of losses to Jake Paul, it's possible that 'The Gorilla' seeks out his revenge in a boxing match instead. It could even take place on a Jake Paul-led PPV.
#3. Darren Till could box Jake Paul
In the aftermath of his UFC release, Darren Till left many fans wondering about his future in combat sports. As he is no longer signed to a mixed martial arts promotion, he has an open window to pursue any opportunity that comes his way. In an interview with MMA Junkie, he entertained a boxing match with Jake Paul.
According to 'The Gorilla', he'd be foolish to turn down such an opportunity if it came his way, least of all due to the millions of dollars he would likely make. In that same interview, the former welterweight title challenger praised 'The Problem Child' for his boxing skills.
He didn't go too far, however, and described Paul as being relatively raw. If he can earn millions by boxing a fairly beatable opponent who has historically done well against MMA fighters, perhaps Till can even redeem the record of mixed martial artists against 'The Problem Child'.
#2. Darren Till could exit the USADA testing pool to accelerate his recovery from injury
Former UFC double champion Conor McGregor has been under extreme scrutiny as of late due to his continued absence from the USADA testing pool. This coincided with a significant increase in the Irishman's muscle mass and the announcement of an upcoming bout with Michael Chandler.
Fans have accused 'The Notorious' of using performance-enhancing drugs to not only accelerate his recovery from his previous leg break, but also to enhance his musculature. Now that Darren Till is no longer a UFC fighter, he is no longer a part of the USADA testing pool.
Thus, there are no restrictions on any substances he can take to speed up his recovery, especially given that he cited his desire to properly recover from his knee injuries as the main reason behind his UFC exit.
#1. Darren Till might ply his trade in a different MMA promotion
The past few years have been difficult for Darren Till to stomach. The Englishman went from being hailed as a future champion to losing to the likes of Dricus du Plessis during the latter's ascension to top-ten status. It's certainly been a bitter pill for 'The Gorilla' to swallow.
After suffering so many losses, fighters typically need to do two things: improve their skill-sets in the gym and rebuild their confidence. Rebuilding one's confidence is only possible by accepting bouts against lower-ranked opponents. Due to his ego, it's unlikely that Till would accept being unranked in the UFC.
Instead, he could rebuild his confidence by signing with either Bellator or the PFL, where there are ample lower-level fighters he can face to rebuild himself while earning a significant amount of money due to his name value.
