By Andy Lindsay
Staring down the road ahead, the options really are endless for a man like Darren Till, as unlikely as that may sound.
After heavy back to back defeats in the welterweight division in the past two years, the aura that resides around Darren Till quickly began to fade, but the Gorilla rebranded and recharged.
A tactical move to Middleweight granted Till a clean slate, another opportunity to prove himself as an MMA great.
Currently standing with a win and a loss in his new weight class, the Liverpool local has proven he belongs among the world’s top middleweights. He defeated former title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum via decision and his five round chess match with former champion, Robert Whittaker, also came down to the judges.
The Gorilla’s next challenge lies in Jack Hermansson on December 5th. Till’s Swedish counterpart shares a common win with the Scouser, coming off a submission win against Kelvin Gastelum. The Joker is a more than formidable opponent, recording finishes in six of his last eight bouts.
Outside of the fight game, Till has been expanding his brand into the world of retail. Using his MMA platform, the Gorilla has produced a clothing brand, ‘Rawdog’. Taking inspirations from existing brands like SUPREME, Till’s new clothing venture has shades of Conor McGregor’s ‘Proper Twelve’ take on Jameson’s Irish whiskey, which is now a leading product in the alcohol market.
As Liverpool’s MMA hero grows older and wiser, it is clear that prize fight is not the be all and end all for the Gorilla.
In typical fashion, however, Darren Till continues to dominate he realms of social media with his relentless trolling of fellow fighters. His most recent escapade saw him call out Cuban Middleweight, Yoel Romero and rising Swedish star, Khamzat Chimaev, a fight that no fighter in the company seems keen to take, no matter the weight class.
Till’s comments on current champion, Israel Adesanya also peaked the interests of the MMA world, as the Team Kaobon golden boy stated, “I know when the time comes, I am going to beat Israel Adesanya.” Till went to mention the inspiration he takes from a fighter like Adesanya despite being division rivals.
Merseyside’s Darren Till has countless doors open for him at this moment in time, but it once again boils down to his next UFC performance versus Hermansson. December 5th could see the Gorilla rise to superstardom once again.
