UFC middleweight Darren Till was once a top contender in the welterweight division. However, brutal weight cuts and two consecutive losses were enough to convince 'The Gorilla' to make the move up to 185 pounds.
Till is currently preparing for his third fight at middleweight since his move up in 2019. He's set to take on Derek Brunson in the UFC Vegas 36 main event next weekend in a fight that could see Till rise to the top of the division's pack should he come out victorious.
However, whilst Darren Till's immediate future is at middleweight, he is not ruling out a potential return to 170 pounds. In a recent interview with ESPN MMA, he stated that:
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"I could probably still make welterweight. I know Usman wants to fight me, Kamaru Usman. I know he's said that. He said 'I still want to fight Till', and we've got a little bit of history. You know, good guy, sound guy. It's him and Leon (Edwards) destined to fight. Leon gonna take that title. But why can't I go down for one last hurrah and see if I can't grab that strap I was meant to have."
Darren Till on why he was unable to continue regularity competing at welterweight
Whilst Darren Till is not ruling out a one-off fight at welterweight, he believes his future is firmly set at middleweight.
Whilst speaking with ESPN, Till reiterated why he was forced to move up a weight class.
"It was the lifestyle. It was always, like, more focus on weight than training a lot. I think I just outgrew welterweight a little bit too much with me leg shape and, you know, I'm a big guy up top as well. I just outgrew it a little bit. Instead of the rigorous cuts, I've done rigorous cuts man, now I don't even think about the weight cut. I don't even give it a second thought."
You can check out Darren Till's full interview with ESPN MMA below: