{"id":15060,"date":"2023-03-30T13:32:21","date_gmt":"2023-03-30T13:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neueonlinecasinos.io\/?p=15060"},"modified":"2023-04-04T16:58:09","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T16:58:09","slug":"darren-till-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neueonlinecasinos.io\/blog\/2023\/03\/30\/darren-till-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Darren Till UFC 287 predictions: Pereira Will Beat Adesanya; Burns Will Beat Masvidal; My boy Khamzat Deserves Title Shot Against Leon"},"content":{"rendered":"
In an exclusive interview with Neue Online Casinos<\/a>, Darren ‚The Gorilla‘ Till reveals his fight predictions ahead of UFC 287 this weekend.<\/p>\n The former UFC fighter also talks how UFC fighter pay needs to improve as well as bring more sponsors in.<\/p>\n If you’d like to use any of the quotes in this interview, you must credit & link to https:\/\/neueonlinecasinos.io<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZYcYxVqEtc8<\/p>\n Question: Let’s start off with the biggest news that’s been going round with you Darren, tell us what exactly happened with you leaving the UFC?<\/b><\/p>\n Darren Till: „It’s no secret that for the past two years I’ve really been struggling with a few niggling injuries. There’s types of treatments that I’ve been wanting to get, but within the USADA anti-doping testing, some things won’t get past that. I’m not saying I’m going to get on steroids and start juicing or anything like that of course, but I want to look after my knee. There’s injections I wanted to speak to people about getting in Panama and Colombia but they’d leave me out of the cage for a few months as a result and wouldn’t necessarily pass the testing requirements either. But also I just felt that having a few years away from the UFC, after leaving on good terms and then coming back, wouldn’t be such a bad idea either. <\/span><\/p>\n „So I spoke to Dana and his colleagues and said ‚listen guys we’ve got a great relationship, so is there any chance you can release me so I can go off and do my own thing for two years and then come back if my body’s right, because I know I can be a champion again?‘. At first we were in negotiations for a while but then we came to an agreement. As I said, I’ve left on great terms with them so that door is always open. Since I’ve left I haven’t even said anything about my plans but I’m already getting called out. People have said I’m fighting Logan Paul, I’m fighting this guy and that guy, I’m boxing, I’m here, I’m there and I just thought ‚wow‘. Every organisation was offering me stupid money to sign for them and that convinced me that I was doing the right thing.“<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Have you set a timeframe, or goal for when you’ll be back in action?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: „Actually you’re going to be the first to know about this but I’m going to be making a big announcement in a few weeks which is really going to set me up for the rest of my life. Good things are going to come from it. I can’t say too much right now but I can tell you first and foremost, here and now, that it’s going to be a big announcement and everyone’s going to be really excited by it. It’s going to be life changing and I can’t wait to share more about it really soon.“<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Do you still see yourself wrapping that middleweight gold around your waist one day?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: „One hundred percent. My aspirations haven’t changed in that sense. Money comes and money goes but I’ve still got that mindset that I’m only 30. Most of the UFC champions are 34 or 35 so I know I can do it. I just need to be directed in the right way and make sure my body is fit and healthy and my mind is too. So regardless of how much money I make outside the UFC, ultimately my goal is to be back having those big fights in the UFC within two to three years.“ <\/span><\/p>\n Q: Would you ever consider joining Bellator or the PFL now your options are open?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: „I mean I probably would yes but the thing for me is going to be boxing. I’m probably going to end up boxing. It would be a bit disrespectful of me to join another MMA organisation after leaving the UFC on such good terms. But at the same time, PFL or Bellator came along with an offer I can’t refuse then I have to take it. PFL have already been knocking on the door with a really big offer. Maybe I’d be silly to turn it down but I’ve said come back with something more so we’ll see but there’s definitely offers on the table from everywhere.“<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Pereira v Adesanya 4: What game plan does Israel have to have to get over his bogey fighter Pereira?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: „I don’t know what to say except that he needs to just use the same game plan and hope it works this fourth time. Because every time I’ve watched these two get it on, Israel Adesanya has been winning the fight and then from nowhere Pereira has come back out of nowhere and beat him. So yeah he is his bogeyman. Adesanya’s strategies have been perfect but Pereira seems to just have his number. I don’t want to say it but Pereira’s probably going to win the fourth fight too and that will be a devastating blow for Israel I think.“<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Your old foe Masvidal has lost 3 on the bounce, is this a must win fight for him against Burns?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: „Yes it is. Both of them are part of my company so we’ve been speaking to Masvidal quite a bit and it seems he’s been training really hard for this fight. I’m glad to see that because part of me was wondering, ‚is he just doing this for the money?‘. I do feel like he needs this win but at the same time with respect it’s going to be a really tough fight against Burns. He showed against Khamzat that he’s got a great ground game, he’s durable and he trains hard so he’ll be able to do the three rounds no problem. If I had to pick a winner I reckon Gilbert Burns takes that fight.“<\/span><\/p>\n Q: If Masvidal beats Burns on April 9th, should he get a straight shot at the title against Leon?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cNo I don\u2019t think so. As you said he\u2019s lost three on the bounce. Just because he had a little scuffle with Leon, that doesn\u2019t warrant a title fight. He needs a few wins under his belt but he\u2019s still a big name so if he gets one or two wins he\u2019s right back in the mix. I know Leon said Colby\u2019s not the guy for the shot but I would love to see Colby vs Leon and then maybe Khamzat fight the winner of that. So it\u2019s exciting times in the welterweight division but I want to see my boy Khamzat get the title.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Masvidal yesterday said he\u2019s a bigger draw than Leon in a London card, after knocking you out last time he was there, he\u2019s talking rubbish right?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cHe\u2019s been in the press for the wrong reasons recently like the Colby fight in Miami with the police and stuff like that. But is there any such thing as bad press in the UFC. He\u2019s a big name but I just don\u2019t think what he\u2019s done recently warrants a fight with Leon. If he beats Burns and then someone else then maybe he deserves a title shot but not with the way things stand right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Raul Rosas jr. 7-0 at 18, up against Rodriguez, how do you think that fight goes. And is Rosa jr. the next star of the bantamweight division?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cI don\u2019t really look too much into this kid because he\u2019s literally just that; a kid. The UFC are going to build him up and that\u2019s all well and good but that kid should only be thinking about being in the gym and getting better. He\u2019s already a good grappler but his striking needs a lot of work on it. I don\u2019t think he should be thinking about titles or calling anyone out. He needs to just focus on improving and learning his craft. He\u2019ll get to the top but all this hype so soon can be a good thing and a bad thing. From what I\u2019ve seen, I get why Dana\u2019s excited about him but when I saw him calling out the champ I was like \u2018that\u2019s not the thing to do\u2019. He\u2019s got a lot of holes in his game yet, he needs to get better and listen to his coaches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Holly Holm made a speech about protecting children from sexualisation, after her win on Saturday. Where do you stand on fighters making political speeches after fights? Is it going a bit too much like the Oscars‘ grandstanding speeches?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cListen, say what you want, I don\u2019t really give a f**k. If someone wants to get political or say something they believe in then that\u2019s all good with me, especially if it’s about children. It\u2019s a tough one to go down the political road when you\u2019re a fighter. But yeah if that\u2019s what floats her boat then who are we to judge? There\u2019s a lot more pressing issues going on in the world. You\u2019ve got fat, naked men twerking on TV! What\u2019s that all about?!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Q: What did you think of that super controversial split decision of Vera v Sanghagen? One judge even gave Chito 3 rounds.<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cYeah what\u2019s the judge\u2019s name? I know the judge because he\u2019s a piece of s**t. He judged Marvin Vettori wrong as well. The way I\u2019ve seen him judging in the last six months he has been part of every controversial decision there\u2019s been. He shouldn\u2019t be judging. He doesn\u2019t know aht type of fight he\u2019s looking at. Even Dana said the same thing. I watched it and when he read out this result I thought \u2018this guy needs to go\u2019. He just simply doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s doing. It would be like putting me into an office desk job, I wouldn\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Q: What has Leon retaining the belt on English soil done for UK MMA?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cIt\u2019s done amazing things I think. Leon\u2019s a very humble, down to earth good guy. He never talks trash, we never see him in the media for bad reasons. That\u2019s the type of guy you want holding the belt. Lots of kids will be looking up to him and that\u2019s great.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Leon Edwards bought his mum a Jamaican food shop after his first win with Usman. What’s the biggest \/craziest thing you\u2019ve bought with your UFC prize money?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cI\u2019m proud to say fighting in the UFC enabled me to buy a million pound house. I say the number because, coming from one of the poorest parts of Liverpool, it\u2019s important to me. It\u2019s not a favela but it is poor and you don\u2019t ever think that you\u2019ll be able to achieve those things. I was able to buy that house for my children and their mother and I\u2019m incredibly proud of that.<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Leon says he doesn\u2019t want to fight Colby, he thinks Colby hasn\u2019t done enough to deserve a title shot. Should Kamzat get a shot next? Or Bilal maybe?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cBilal or Khamzat have probably earned it more than Colby. He is a draw, he talks a lot of crap and stuff like that so I know what Leon\u2019s saying about not wanting to give him a shot. But it probably will be Colby. That\u2019s how I see it playing out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: What do you predict Kamzat\u2019s future in the UFC to be, is he destined to win that welterweight belt? Could he even go up to middleweight and become champ champ?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cI think he grabs the welterweight title and then potentially moves up. There\u2019s a lot of tough fights at middleweight and he could get the title at that weight too, it’s a definite possibility. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing who\u2019s going to win out of Leon and Colby and Khamzat face the winner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: What would you want to see changed in the UFC, if & when you get back there?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cI think fighter pay could be improved. Fighters deserved to get paid more in my view, although the UFC do pump a lot back into the company. I also think we should be able to have more sponsors within the octagon. You have to fight for change to happen but it will happen eventually I\u2019m confident of that. It just might take a while.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Friday night’s Fury FC 76 main event between Edgar Chairez and Gianni Vazquez saw some shocking refereeing when the ref failed to notice that Vazquez was choked unconscious and allowed Chairez to then put an armbar on his opponent. Is the standard of MMA refereeing getting worse?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cYes I do. I really do. I think there\u2019s only a few legitimate referees left in the sport of MMA and that goes for the judges too. There are careers being potentially ruined. The best refs\u2026 you\u2019ve obviously got Marc Goddard. He\u2019s one of the best out there. I\u2019ve seen some of these refereeing clips, not the one you mentioned there but how can you be in charge of a fighter\u2019s safety\u2026 I know how it works. Once you\u2019re unconscious the next thing after that is death. Your windpipe\u2019s collapsed. I know when a guy is choked out from the other side of the room. How they can\u2019t see that from three feet away I\u2019ve got no idea. It actually infuriates a lot of fighters. He should never ref again for as long as he lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Confirmed that Ireland\u2019s Ian Garry will face a big step up in competition, going up against Daniel Rodriguez on May 13th. What advice have you got for Ian?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cI like what Ian\u2019s doing. The first few fights of his career I was sort of on the fence in terms of how good he is or isn\u2019t, but his last fight I think he showed a lot. He was in trouble, he was knocked down but he came back and staunched the guy. I\u2019ve been very impressed by his evolution and his work rate. He seems like a good guy, he\u2019s just had a family. This is a big step up against Rodriguez but with his style and his length I can actually see him winning the fight. He hasn\u2019t got a lot of knockout power but I can see him winning a three rounder yeah. It\u2019s been a pleasure to watch him so far.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Has Jon Jones cemented himself in the UFC as the GOAT, after his technical finish of Gane?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cThe GOAT. He didn\u2019t need to. I love Jon Jones because of what Jon Jones is both inside and outside the octagon. The guy\u2019s a raving lunatic who drinks and does all the wrong things but he\u2019s the best fighter. I know it\u2019s not the guy to be looking up to as a kid but when you look at it for what it is the guy is phenomenal. He\u2019s the GOAT, he\u2019s the best ever. None of these other guy\u2019s can claim to be the best. Your Khabibs, your GSPs, they\u2019re all great but they\u2019re not Jon Jones.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Q: It\u2019s looking likely Jones will face Stipe Miotic next, who do you see winning that fight?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cI just don\u2019t see anyone that can beat Jones. I\u2019ll say it again. He\u2019s the GOAT. The only two who might have a chance are Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: On instagram you recently hinted that you\u2019re planning to take it back to the Muay Thai days which produced a lot of excitement in the comments. What\u2019s the deal!<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cAs I said there were offers on the table. I\u2019m a free agent, free and open to the world. Show me the money!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: We have to talk about the rumour mill of you fighting Logan in the boxing ring, what\u2019s stopping this from happening in 2023?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cYeah if that fight comes about I\u2019ve got my team speaking for me and he\u2019s got his team speaking for him. The guy is a boxer or whatever and I do just feel that I would run over him. but we\u2019ll see maybe it will happen at some point in the future. I\u2019m going to come into boxing and be running over these guys.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: If say the Saudi\u2019s offered you 5 million to fight Logan Paul in the desert, would you do it?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cYeah of course you know. Saudi Arabia is where the money is now for boxing. They\u2019re paying the biggest purses and the biggest pay-per-view numbers, so if they offered me that\u2026 What comes with that in terms of sponsorship packages, money, pay-per-view points. You\u2019d be a fool to turn that down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: Seeing Jake get beat on points by Tommy Fury, do you think you could beat Jake in the boxing ring?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cOne hundred percent. As I told you, if I’m gonna be boxing I\u2019ll be running over these guys, Tommy included.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: What\u2019s the worst physical pain you\u2019ve ever felt in the UFC octagon?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cMy knee. When I tore my ACL. There\u2019s been a few but that\u2019s the worst for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: What\u2019s the most annoying injury you\u2019ve suffered in your career so far?<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cIt was my little toe. I dislocated my little toe and I swear it was the most excruciating pain I\u2019ve ever had and it didn\u2019t stop for months. You don\u2019t realise how much weight you put on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Q: You mentioned you\u2019ve had offers since leaving the UFC, what\u2019s the craziest one so far? Moneywise?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n DT: \u201cThere\u2019s a Polish organisation who offered me over a million to do 1st round Muay Thai, 2nd round MMA, 3rd round boxing and 4th round karate or something along those lines. They were offering a lot of money for that and it was tempting for something that\u2019s quite a crazy concept. The only problem would be remembering which round it was and not getting disqualified for kicking during the boxing round or something haha!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In an exclusive interview with Neue Online Casinos, Darren ‚The Gorilla‘ Till reveals his fight predictions ahead of UFC 287 this weekend. The former UFC fighter also talks how UFC fighter pay needs to improve as well as bring more sponsors in. If you’d like to use any of the quotes in this interview, you … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":15062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Full transcript<\/h3>\n