"He's the best lightweight on the planet" - Darren Till uses Charles Oliveira's career resurgence as motivation in his pursuit of a UFC title
Darren Till believes Charles Oliveira is the best lightweight on the planet, ahead of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Darren Till was once regarded as a high-level up-and-comer and perhaps the 'next big star' when he first made his UFC debut back in 2015 in the welterweight division.
Till got off to an impressive start, bagging wins against fighters such as Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone and two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson. Till's four-fight winning streak came to an end in his first title shot against then welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
Since then, the Scouser has gone on to drop three of his last four fights, losing to Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson.
His only win in that stretch was getting a gutsy split decision win in his middleweight debut against former middleweight title contender Kelvin Gastelum.
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Hey @darrentill2 we're here my ma', if you need our support, lets train together. 🤜🤛
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In a recent interview with The MMA Hour's Ariel Helwani, Till talked about his mindset while dealing with the losses.Till also brought up how he draws inspiration from current lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
According to Till:
"It's just a few little tweaks and a few little adjustments and I'm right back there. Trust me, I'll be right back there, breaking records and beating all these bests. Trust me on that mate, I promise you. Take example by Charles Oliveira, he was the underdog on the fight and you can ask anyone, I love Dustin Poirier, I've known the guy for years, he's a great guy but anyone who asked me I would say 'Oliveira's gonna win the fight'. I'll tell you, mate, he's the best lightweight on the planet right now, including Khabib, he's the best lightweight on the planet. Trust me."
Darren Till, much like Charles Oliveira, is still in his prime at the age of 28. With an exciting style and massive following, Till will be hoping to get back on a winning streak.
You can catch MMA Fighting's full interview with Darren Till right here:
Darren Till looking to make a comeback in March
Darren 'The Gorilla' Till last fought in September of this year in a losing effort against Derek Brunson.
It has since been revealed by Darren Till's coach that the UFC star fought Brunson with a torn ACL, an injury he suffered weeks before the clash.
Darren Till vs. Uriah Hall is in the works to headline UFC Fight Night on March 19. - (185lbs) per @arielhelwani
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Since then Darren Till has been on the lookout for a new opponent, one of which has been linked with Uriah Hall, who recently suffered a defeat at the hands of Sean Strickland.
Hall, 37, has won four of his last five fights and is currently ranked the No.9 middleweight in the UFC rankings, just one spot behind Darren Till.