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Darren Till (18-3-1) is a promising UFC middleweight fighter. He is a funny bloke with an interesting life story. Nicknamed 'The Gorilla,' Till started training in Muay Thai at the age of 12 and dropped out of school at 14. Following a few curious incidents, which included leaving Britain for Brazil, the 28-year-old became a mixed martial artist.
In 2015, Darren Till made his UFC debut against Wendell de Oliveira and secured a knockout victory. He is now 6-4-1 in the UFC. His most recent loss came against Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Let's take a look at five things every UFC fan should know about Darren Till:
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#5. Darren Till is a funny man
Darren Till has ten knockout wins on his fighting resume and is currently seventh in the UFC middleweight rankings. Interestingly, the Brit is equally famous for his humor outside the octagon and skills inside the octagon. 'The Gorilla' is quite active on social media and loves to provide entertainment for his fans.
The Liverpudlian likes to engage in banter. He has a distinct opinion on most things. Till isn't afraid to talk about UFC fighters, commentators and other controversial topics.
One of these incidents came in January 2021. Making fun of Dana White's war on piracy, Darren Till posted an image of "streams" on his Twitter with a text message warning from the UFC boss.
'The Gorilla' has been unafraid to talk about fellow UFC fighters as well. Most notably, Till posted about Aljamain Sterling winning the bantamweight title after former champion Petr Yan was disqualified from the contest.
Yan threw an illegal knee on a downed Sterling, thus losing the belt. Sterling was visibly disappointed with how he won the title and seemed confused after a hard knock to the head.
Till took a shot at the newly crowned champion, tweeting:
#4. Darren Till's much-talked-about tattoo
Darren Till's tattoo of a blonde woman on his left arm has caught a lot of attention. It understandably confused UFC fans, who believed it looked like Paige VanZant.
It turns out that the tattoo is of Darren Till's ex-girlfriend. When asked about his body art, 'The Gorilla' said:
"No, it's not. It's my girl. It was a surprise for her on her birthday. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do something different. I’m going to get a tattoo of her face. It's not Paige VanZant, I don't even know who that is. As I’ve told you about my girl, she’s next to none other. So every time I fight, she fights too. And she gets beat up with me, do you know what I mean? So if she’s p*****g me off, I just go to the gym and let some guys punch me (laughs)."
#3. Darren Till has a YouTube channel
UFC fighters usually have a busy schedule, often spending most of their time in training camps or recovery. It is often a big deal if they can also manage a YouTube channel in their free time. Darren Till is one of the few fighters to have an active YouTube account.
The Brit started his YouTube channel about a year ago. He uses the platform to share updates about his life. In the first video he uploaded, Till spoke about Jon Jones and why he believes that 'Bones' is the GOAT in MMA. 'The Gorilla' factored Jones' controversies and mishaps inside and outside the octagon. However, the UFC middleweight still felt that 'Bones' was the greatest fighter in the sport.
"I just have to be clear and say he (Jon Jones) is the GOAT in MMA. He is the GOAT because of the caliber of fighters he has beat, the levels.. He is the GOAT. All this other sh*t outside the octagon does matter, but it doesn't mean he's not the GOAT inside the octagon."
Darren Till has many more videos on his channel. He usually gives his opinion on recent events and shares stories from his life.
Watch Darren Till's first YouTube video below.
#2. Getting stabbed with a knife changed Darren Till's life
Darren Till left Britain and moved to Brazil to learn jiu-jitsu. He eventually joined Astra Fight Team. He also earned a purple belt in Luta Livre, a type of Brazilian submission wrestling.
Till kick-started his MMA career in Brazil. He fought with promotions such as Sparta MMA.
A near-death experience in his hometown prompted his unusual decision to move to Brazil. The UFC middleweight was stabbed in a bar, following which his coach suggested that 'The Gorilla' get serious about life.
In an interview, Darren Till said:
"I was kicked out of school and my mum was on my case to get a job. I was training a lot but mixing with the wrong crowd. I was in a nightclub and I got stabbed, I spent time in the hospital. I just believe everything (Coach Colin) says, so I went the week later. 'Go to Brazil [he said] and let's see what can happen'. He trusted me to come back as a UFC fighter."
Till spent over three years in Brazil. Apart from becoming a better MMA fighter, he also became a fluent speaker of Portuguese.
#1. What was Darren Till arrested for?
Darren Till was arrested in Tenerife, an island off the northwest coast of Africa. According to reports, in 2019, the UFC middleweight and four friends were arrested for vandalizing a hotel room and then stealing a taxi.
Till and his friends were removed from the hotel for breaking furniture and emptying fire extinguishers.
They then tried to go to another establishment but were not welcomed there either. The group then allegedly sped off in a cab while its driver was loading the trunk. They were later caught by the police and arrested.
In an interview with Fighters Only, Darren Till revealed his side of the story:
"I won’t name no names, but a taxi was not stolen – well, it was stolen and drove around the block a few times. I went (to) the scene. I was somewhere else. I had left the hotel, as well. Then when the police were rounding everyone up, they saw me. Straight away, the police was like, ‘Darren Till.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah,’ and I knew what was going on. I was like, ‘It’s all going to fall on me.’"
Darren Till also revealed a funnier side to the story. He was treated nicely by a police officer in exchange for an Instagram follow. Till said:
"It was funny because when you’re in there, you’re meant to be in the cells. One of the policemen trains jiu-jitsu. He’s like, ‘Follow me on Instagram and I’ll bring you some food in there.’ He actually brought me some chicken and rice and he was a nice guy. He kept my time good there."
