UFC middleweight Darren Till knows he must return to winning ways at UFC 282. Till is set to face Dricus du Plessis on the main card of this weekend’s pay-per-view event, and Till made it clear in an interview with MMAJunkie that he is motivated to force a change in his fighting fortunes.
“It’s a little bit of the downs and lows. It’s hard to explain what a fighter thinks about stuff like this, then when he’s on a high. I have fought the best fighters there is to fight in the world. So, does that put me at the elite? Yes, it does. You get beat and you’re still elite, of course. But you get beat, of course. It’s been rough and tough.
Darren Till Not Motivated By Money or Fame for UFC 282
Everything I put into this camp and I put everything into this training, as I always do. I can only go out there Saturday night and perform and stay true to my word what I said to myself all those years ago. I’m not motivated by fame or money. I’m motivated by something totally different. So I’m just going to go out there and have a good fight.”
Till also conceded that this fight is far from personal. Dricus du Plessis issued Till a backhanded compliment in the buildup to the fight, praising his ability, but reminding the press that Darren Till looks very beatable when he’s not on top form.
“I’ve got nothing towards Dricus. I don’t feel anything towards him. We’re just going to fight. After it, I won’t feel anything.
But he’s right in saying when I’m on it, I’m on it. No one can touch me. I don’t know what it is about my striking. I just believe in it.
I do believe if I touch him up a few times I’m going to get the knockout. But I can’t get too reckless, I can’t do an Izzy or something. That’s the path.”
Darren Till is certainly expecting to walk out firing on all cylinders. He has been training alongside undefeated Chechen fighter Khamzat Chimaev in a bid to improve the grappling side of his fight game. Whether that will be enough to take out Dricus du Plessis, who has yet to lose a fight in the UFC, will come to light on Saturday night.
Do you think Darren Till can turn things around this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
