Darren Till release: Former rival Robert Whittaker believes bad performance is not why UFC cut him

It was recently revealed that Darren Till is no longer on the UFC roster and has been cut from the organization. His former rival Robert Whittaker recently weighed in on the new development in the Englishman's career and claimed there's more to the story than meets the eye.

The UFC recently updated its official rankings and revealed that 'The Gorilla' had been bumped out of the middleweight division's rankings. Shortly after, the famous Twitter bot, UFC Roster Watch, disclosed that Till had been removed from the fan rankings pool. This was later followed up by the Englishman confirming the news.

❌ Fighter removed: Darren Till

In a recent appearance on Mainevent, Robert Whittaker shared his take on Darren Till getting cut and opined that his former rival wasn't removed due to his recent string of losses:

"It's surprising, to be honest. I would have to believe it's not purely because of his last few losses. I think there's something more to it as in he's going through something mentally or injuries. I think there's discussions between them and they came to an agreement that they were going to release him. I can't see them just cutting him due to performances."

Watch the full interview below:

Darren Till release: 'The Gorilla' confirms UFC exit, hints at boxing in the future

Darren Till recently took to social media to confirm his departure from the UFC and teased a possible venture into the world of boxing. The middleweight fighter was one of three fighters that were released from the promotion.

When news of his exit was first reported, there was widespread speculation among the fan base about the reasons behind this decision. However, Till took to Twitter to clear the air surrounding the matter. He wrote:

"What’s happening everyone. Me, Dana & Hunter are still cool as fuck. I asked UFC 2 remove me just 2 sort some other shit for the foreseeable. They happily agreed to release me out of contract which I appreciate. I’m not going anywhere, got big plans to execute & I’ll be back."

What’s happening everyone,
Me, Dana & Hunter are still cool as fuck.
I asked UFC 2 remove me just 2 sort some other shit for the foreseeable,
They happily agreed to release me out of contract which I appreciate.
I’m not going anywhere, got big plans to execute & I’ll be back. 🦍

'The Gorilla' confirmed that he asked to be released from his contract in order to deal with some issues before eventually planning to return to the UFC. Soon after the tweet was posted, Darren Till also hinted at a stint in boxing. He posted a tweet with some boxing gloves and money bag emojis.

Till left the UFC on a three-fight losing streak and has lost five of his last six fights.

Boxing, Darren? 👀 https://t.co/aGfdBeb7AA