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At one point, Darren Till seemed like a future world champion. During the Englishman's welterweight run, the UFC placed its promotional weight behind him. At the time, he was an undefeated trash-talker who had the fervent support of England. Judging from his UFC 228 walkout, he was a star in the making.
Unfortunately, 'The Gorilla' never lived up to the expectations that many had of him. He failed to capture the UFC welterweight title from Tyron Woodley before embarking on a poor stretch worsened by his move into the middleweight division. Darren Till has lost five of his last six bouts.
His most recent loss came against Dricuss du Plessis. With only one win in the last four years, many have been left wondering. What happened? There are countless issues surrounding the Englishman's decline. This list identifies them and details five things that 'The Gorilla' must do to bounce back from his recent skid.
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#5. Darren Till must leave Team Kaobon
The truth of the matter is that Darren Till hasn't improved in the last few years. Fundamentally, he's still the same fighter. There are no new nuances to his game, nor has he evolved an existing element of his fighting style. He's been criticized for seemingly possessing nothing more than a straight left.
Conor McGregor is similar in that he also primarily utilizes a straight left. However, the Irishman has a multitude of setups that 'The Gorilla' sorely lacks. While the former welterweight is exceptional at positioning his lead foot on the outside of his opponent's lead foot, everyone already knows this. They're aware that he does so to align them with his left hand.
He has very few other setups to accomplish this. To improve or add a new element to his game, like combination punching, he should change gyms. Team Kaobon has done nothing to help him improve, and he requires input from better coaches who can provide better training partners.
#4. Reevaluate his lifestyle choices
Darren Till hasn't improved as a fighter, but he has certainly declined. At one point, his physique was well-muscled and fairly vascular. But in recent years, 'The Gorilla' has sported a softer physique with far more body fat. Furthermore, he is injured far more often now. His injury struggles have caused countless bout cancelations.
In the past, he fought multiple times per year. However, in the last three years, that has changed. The Scouser is known to be a heavy drinker, and this might negatively impact his fitness levels in the gym. This could be why he's suddenly become so injury-prone.
Thus, Darren Till needs to reconsider his lifestyle choices. Perhaps by limiting his drinking and partying while simultaneously taking his fitness more seriously, he can recapture his previous form. Additionally, 'The Gorilla' should try and stay in shape between camps to facilitate the process of getting into fighting shape.
#3. Change promotions or face lower-level competition
At this point in his career, the losses that Darren Till has been accumulating won't be good for his confidence as a fighter. He went from being considered a future world champion to now being on the verge of being an unranked fighter. It's a bitter pill to swallow, and this has almost certainly chipped away at his self-belief.
'The Gorilla' would be better suited to either signing with a different promotion where the competition is weaker or accepting lower-level fights in the UFC. This way, he can emulate Charles Oliveira's career renaissance. The Brazilian was once on a similar run but rose from the dregs of the lightweight division.
By facing lower-ranked opponents, 'do Bronx' was able to rebuild himself and regain his confidence. Furthermore, if Darren Till learns anything new by training at a different gym, he'll have an easier time testing his new skills against lower-level foes.
#2. Train with more wrestlers
One of Darren Till's biggest weaknesses is his defensive wrestling. His striking is good enough that he can contend with most of his foes on the feet. Unfortunately, the true holes in his game are unveiled the moment he faces anyone who is determined to wrestle against him.
Years ago, the Englishman had a decent sprawl. He used to explode his hips back quickly before digging for underhooks. That, however, is no longer a viable means of countering an opponent's takedown. Darren Till doesn't know how to disengage from his opponents once they grab a hold of him.
With the advent of chain wrestling, disengaging from a wrestler is just as important as stopping the initial takedown. Otherwise, one's opponent can simply chain together another takedown. To his misfortune, the Englishman's takedown defense has deteriorated.
His sprawling abilities have deteriorated to such an extent that Dricus du Plessis, who had an 18% takedown success rate prior, completed all of his takedowns against him. 'The Gorilla' must train part-time at a gym with strong wrestlers due to the lack of a strong wrestling culture in England.
It's clear that the time he's spent training with Khamzat Chimaev has done nothing to improve his wrestling skills. A stint at AKA might help him improve on his most worrying issue.
#1. Hire a nutritionist and return to welterweight
The most stinging truth that Darren Till must accept is that his most successful run as a fighter took place in the welterweight division. At 170 lbs, his size was such an advantage that he was capable of fending off better wrestlers. Furthermore, he retained his natural speed.
Even Jorge Masvidal, a former lightweight, described 'The Gorilla' as unbelievably quick after they clashed. At welterweight, the Scouser will have size and speed, in addition to the kind of punching power that will favor his low-volume striking. He won't need a high volume of punches to stun smaller foes.
However, at his current size, the Englishman will struggle to cut down to welterweight. Fortunately, it's not an impossible task if he hires a good nutritionist and dietician. Years ago, no one would have thought that José Aldo would fight at bantamweight.
The Brazilian great was a large featherweight for the time, and many thought his future lay somewhere in the lightweight division due to his struggles making 145 lbs. However, a high-quality nutritionist helped him cut down to 135 lbs, which 'Scarface' had never fought at before.
Thus, it's reasonable that with a good nutritionist, 'The Gorilla' can cut down to a weight class his body is already familiar with. He needs to return to 170 lbs to salvage his career.
