One time top welterweight contender Darren Till fell from grace very quickly. After a dismal performance in his loss to then champion Tyron Woodley he was knocked out cold in brutal fashion by Jorge Masvidal. He never recovered and his current run proves it as he is just 1-4 in his last 5. A knockout like the one he received from Masvidal can break a fighter psychologically to the point they might not recover.
Even moving to middleweight hasn’t helped. He won his first bout against Kelvin Gastelum via split decision but dropped the next two. Darren is currently sitting on the UFC’s cutting line. Even likeability and charisma can’t keep someone around forever without winning.
What am I saying? Tito Ortiz was 1-7-1 before he moved to Bellator.
UFC London goes down on Saturday, July 23rd at the O2 Arena in Peninsula Square, London, England. Till was supposed to face very tough opponent Jack Hermansson who is 3-3 in his last 6 but he pulled out due to an undisclosed injury. The argument could be there for detractors that Darren decided the man who knocked out recent title challenger Jared Cannonier was too big a risk. The British fighter desperately needs a win and Jack is a beast at middleweight. All of that would be speculation but it would certainly a viable reason. Till admitted that he was scared to return after being flatlined by Masvidal. Who could blame him?
Since Till’s withdrawal from the bout the search for a replacement was on and thankfully it looks they have one. Chris Curtis has been announced as Jack’s new opponent. Chris is on a three fight win streak right now and a win over Hermansson would certainly make a case for a spot in the top ten.
What do you think of the replacement?