Ex-UFC star Darren Till nearly secures comeback deal by "chatting sh*t" on social media
Darren Till is among the most prominent martial artists in the world and is widely known for his impressive gift of the gab. It recently came to light that Till's online trash-talking skills almost secured him a comeback deal at Karate Combat.
Till has been away from action since his loss against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282 in December 2022. While the Liverpudlian was considered among the most exciting prospects out of England, his tenure in the UFC was less than impressive. His final defeat against du Plessis was his third straight loss, and he announced his departure from the promotion a few months later.
Darren Till hasn't fought professionally since his UFC exit. However, it appears 'The Gorilla' was close to making his comeback against Karate Combat middleweight champion Ross Levine at Karate Combat 43 on December 15.
For context, Till recently sounded off on Karate Combat fighters and confidently claimed he could beat any of them easily. The promotion's 185-pound king soon challenged the Englishman to a fight, and the promotion was eager to book the two fighters against each other for a blockbuster title fight.
The promotion posted Levine's callout video on X and wrote:
"@darrenttill2 has been chatting sh*t on social about our fighters. Darren, we've got @rossTURBOlevine ready and waiting for you, along with many others, just sign the dotted line."
Unfortunately, negotiations couldn't be completed in time for the December 15 card. Ross Levine is now set to fight former UFC fighter Sam Alvey. However, Karate Combat supremo Asim Zaidi confirmed to The Daily Star that they will resume negotiations with Till next year for a fight in the first half of 2024.
Darren Till return: Mike Perry promises to fight 'The Gorilla' next year
It's no secret that there's no love lost between Darren Till and Mike Perry. The two MMA stars have been at each other's throats since their welterweight days in the UFC, and it seems time hasn't resolved the issues they had with each other.
The two launched brutal attacks on each other as rising 170-pound contenders in the UFC, and their feud escalated after Till made some unsavory comments about Perry's wife. While it appeared they would get a chance to settle their dispute after Till's release from the UFC, the fight never materialized.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani earlier this year, Mike Perry vowed to fight Darren Till next year and revealed that his team is working on making it happen behind the scenes. He said:
"I’m thinking [the fight will happen in 2024]. They’re working on it. I know a lot of people behind the scenes are working... We just want to fight because I want to punch him for things he’s said in the past." [h/t mmafighting.com]
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