Darren Till makes his UFC return to the octagon this weekend against South African middleweight Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Scouser has had a mixed career so far but will be hoping to get a comeback win over one of the hardest hitters at 185 lbs.
UFC career brief
Till shot to the top at the beginning of his UFC career. Five wins and one draw in his first six bouts with wins over legends of the sports Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson put ‘the Gorilla’ in the welterweight elite.
On the back of the Thompson fight in his backyard in the M&S Bank Arena (then Echo Arena), Till put himself in a prime position for a title fight against champion Tyron Woodley.
The bout didn’t go his way in Texas losing to Woodley in the second round. Following another loss to Jorge Masvidal, Till took it upon himself to say goodbye to the extreme weight cuts and make the move to middleweight.
A new middleweight contender
The Liverpudlian striker was victorious in his first bout at 185 pounds defeating former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum by a split decision.
His next two bouts would be a hard-contested loss to former champion Robert Whittaker and American wrestler Derek Brunson
Dricus Du Plessis
The outspoken Scouser has made various changes ahead of his bout against Du Plessis this weekend. Till has trained across the globe training in Sweden and now Thailand, posting plenty of social media posts from his training camp. He even went as far as to train with former rival Marvin Vettori whilst in Phuket.
Though Till has faced setbacks during his career, whether injuries or defeats, he has never lost hope in himself. Still desperate for a UFC belt, a dangerous opponent stands in his way. Dricus Du Plessis stands at 17-2 and is undefeated in the UFC (3-0).
A win over Du Plessis and remaining in good health following the bout is the perfect starting point to fire Till back into the mix at the top of the middleweight division.
