Darren Till

Scouting report

Darren Till moved up to middleweight in late 2019 after his welterweight cut became unsustainable. His middleweight run included a technical five-round loss to former champion Robert Whittaker and a submission defeat to Derek Brunson, opponents who adjusted to his stance before he could land his left hand, though his 81 Overall rating held across both middleweight game editions. The punching mechanics that carried his welterweight career remained largely intact at 185 pounds.

Peak ratings

By edition

Till at 185: the striker who kept the plan and lost the ground

Till's early pro fights in Brazil reportedly included a run at middleweight before he settled at welterweight in late 2014, so 185 was not entirely new. His welterweight run brought a title fight loss to Tyron Woodley and a knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal, and he missed the welterweight limit in 2017 against Jessin Ayari and again in 2018 against Stephen Thompson. In November 2019 he went up to face Kelvin Gastelum and won a split decision. Robert Whittaker beat him on the scorecards in 2020, Derek Brunson submitted him in the third round in 2021, and Dricus du Plessis did the same in 2022. He was released in February 2023 after asking to leave.

Till's middleweight numbers, explained

A left hand and a Muay Thai base for the division

At his peak, Boxing is 87, Kickboxing is 84 and Strength is 84. His Muay Thai background runs from age 12, and he dropped out of school at 14 to focus on the sport. That base gave him a way to fight at range against bigger middleweights. He beat Gastelum by split decision in his first fight at middleweight, a good result for a man moving up. For a draft it means a striker who has more to offer on the feet than most of the pool.

BJJ at 72 and the third-round submissions

BJJ is the lowest rating at 72, with Wrestling only at 78. Till spent three and a half years at Astra Fight Team in Balneario Camboriu, and he arrived with minimal knowledge of grappling. That gap shows in his last two middleweight fights, since both Brunson and du Plessis submitted him in round three. Whittaker beat him on the scorecards. Use him for a fast start and a big left hand, and remember he can be caught later.

Scouting report

Darren "The Gorilla" Till, from Liverpool, stopped Stephen Thompson at UFC Fight Night Liverpool in 2018, a decision win in front of his home crowd that earned him a UFC title shot against Tyron Woodley. Trained under Colin Heron at Team Kaobon, Till fought at 170 with a southpaw left hand that measured opponents from unusual angles, reflected in an 86 Boxing and 79 Kickboxing rating and an 85 Overall score. Till lost to Kelvin Gastelum by TKO in September 2019 before moving up to middleweight.

Peak ratings

Darren Till, the Liverpool striker who left home to learn how to fight

Darren Till began Muay Thai at twelve and turned professional at fifteen. He trained with Colin Heron at Team Kaobon in England, then moved to Brazil to train at Astra Fight Team and stayed there for years. He made his debut in the big promotion on nine days' notice in May 2015 with a knockout of Wendell Marques. In October 2017 he stopped Donald Cerrone in the first round, and in September 2018 he challenged Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title and lost by D'Arce choke in round two.

Till, attribute by attribute

Boxing at 88 is why he matters

Boxing is his top rating at 88 in his one edition. He knocked out Marques on debut and stopped Cerrone with strikes in the first round of a 2017 fight. Against Thompson in 2018 he won a controversial unanimous decision at a catchweight, where 22 of 25 media outlets had scored the bout for Thompson. His striking has always produced fights that are hard to score.

BJJ at 72 is the sore spot

BJJ is his lowest rating at 72, and his later losses are mostly submissions. Woodley choked him in the second round of the title fight in 2018, Derek Brunson choked him in round three in 2021, and Dricus du Plessis submitted him in round three in 2022. Jorge Masvidal knocked him out in 2019, so he has lost both ways.