Dricus du Plessis believes he understands his UFC 282 opponent. Du Plessis is set to face Darren Till on this weekend’s main card, and while he acknowledged that Till is a skilled, dangerous opponent, he also pointed out that Darren Till was “his own worst enemy” at the pre-fight press conference.
“I think he’s in his own head. When he started out, he was extremely motivated, he was a force at 170, he was a big 170, he was imposing his style on people. Once you get to the big boys at middleweight, it’s a completely different story.”
Dricus du Plessis Believes Darren Till is “His Own Worst Enemy”
Darren Till’s rise in the UFC was nothing short of meteoric. He won six fights in a row, earning himself a run at then-champ Tyron Woodley. After failing to defeat Woodley, he next lost to Jorge Masvidal via knockout at UFC London.
That massive upset, and the drastic weight cut Till was making in order to reach the 170-pound welterweight limit, sent him into the middleweight division, where Till’s fortunes have continued to fade somewhat. Although he picked up a much-needed victory over Kelvin Gastelum in his 185-pound debut, Darren Till is currently riding a two-fight losing streak.
Du Plessis cited Till’s desire for “an easier route” at the heavier weight class as a major factor in the Liverpudlian fighter’s decline.
“I think he took the move up as almost an easier route and that’s not the case at all. We hit a little harder, everybody’s a little stronger at 185, and I believe that was where the big mistake came.
Then, of course, Darren Till losing the big fight against Masvidal, getting back against Gastelum it was not an amazing performance but he got the W, and then getting those losses – definitely the mental aspect, that’s where his biggest downfall came and I don’t think he recovered from that. I think that’s where he’s his own worst enemy.”
Till himself knows that he needs to start racking up wins once more if he hopes to return to title contention. Till has taken to training with surging Chechen fighter Khamzat Chimaev in a bid to improve his ground game, and will be hoping to showcase a new and improved skillset at UFC 282 this weekend. Whether he can impose his will on Dricus du Plessis, who is undefeated in three UFC appearances, is another story.
Is Dricus du Plessis right about Darren Till? Let us know in the comments.
