Darren Till appears to motivated by his loss to Derek Brunson in the UFC Fight Night 191 main event.
Till (18-4-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) was submitted by Brunson (23-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in the third round of the middleweight contender matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, extending a rough stretch for the 28-year-old.
With just one victory in his past five fights dating back to when he challenged Tyron Woodley for a UFC title in September 2018, there are going to be many questions around Till’s future in the aftermath of this latest result.
Till did not speak in the octagon after the fight or at the post-fight press conference. His first message about the bout was clear, despite him not using any words.
He simply posted two photos: One of Michael Bisping with the UFC middleweight title, as well as another of current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. The underlying message is that Till is willing to take the long road to the belt, just as Bisping and Oliveira did (via Instagram):
Till struggled to find prolonged offensive effectiveness in the fight with Brunson. His takedown defense failed him in trying to keep the fight standing, and when he was on the ground had no response to Brunson’s top control and eventual submission attempt.
Now it remains to be seen what comes next for “The Gorilla.”