5 reasons why Darren Till might not ever reach his potential
At UFC 228, Darren Till seemed to be moments away from MMA superstardom. He was undefeated, had the support of an entire nation and was set to face Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight championship. He was who the UFC hoped would win the bout, and given the raucous reaction he generated during his walkout, it was easy to see why.
Unfortunately, 'The Gorilla' crumbled when the lights were brightest. He was knocked off his feet by a counter-overhand right from Woodley en route to being submitted with a brabo choke for which 'The Chosen One' earned his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. What was set up to be Darren Till's coronation became yet another chapter in Woodley's storied career in the welterweight division.
Meanwhile, Till has struggled with consistency since the fight, going 1-3 in the next four bouts following his loss to Woodley. While many hoped 'The Gorilla' would fulfill his potential and become the star and champion he seemed destined to be, he's struggled to earn back that faith.
This list examines five reasons why he may never reach the heights he was once pegged to.
#5. Darren Till's striking is limited
Darren Till is powerful. Even in the middleweight division, where he is fairly outsized, 'The Gorilla' possesses decent punching power. Indeed, his punching power was enough to earn Derek Brunson's respect and convince the American to pursue a wrestling-heavy gameplan instead of engaging Till in a kickboxing exchange.
Furthermore, Darren Till is shockingly fast. Jorge Masvidal accurately described the Brit as being much quicker than he expected when the pair locked horns at UFC Fight Night 147. This was facilitated by Till's southpaw stance, which allows him to easily keep his lead foot on the outside of his foe's own if they're fighting from orthodox.
Left hand finding a home for @DarrenTill2 in Round 
👊 Left hand finding a home for @DarrenTill2 in Round 3️⃣
#UFC244 https://t.co/RRuvHd5agX
Due to these differences in stance, Darren Till often aligns his opponent's chin with his left power-side with supernatural ease, setting up his straight left to great effect. However, 'The Gorilla' does not possess much else other than his straight left. He has a decent pocket of feints, a jab, some low kicks and strong clinch work.
He does play with angles to set up the occasional high kick and uses his distance management to create openings for intercepting elbows against foes who try closing the distance against him. However, he remains a low-volume pressure fighter who enjoys fighting from long range in a division where he is smaller and shorter than most of his foes.
He is not long enough at middleweight to benefit from his chosen style and does not throw at a high enough volume to outpoint his foes.