UFC 282: Darren Till shuts down retirement rumours after devastating defeat to Dricus du Plessis

Darren Till has spoken candidly about his future in mixed martial arts after being defeated by Dricus du Plessi at UFC 282.

The 29-year-old, from Liverpool, made his return to the Octagon on Saturday (10 December) night for the first time in over 15 months.

Unfortunately for Darren Till, he faced a crushing loss after finding himself taking a number of strikes from Dricus du Plessi.

The South African sent a barrage of strikes onto his opponent in the opening frame, but Darren survived into the second round.

Darren Till has not had his hand raised in victory for over three years following the third-round submission loss at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The mixed martial arts fighter took to social media to share his thoughts on his defeat where he also dismissed rumours that he would be retiring from the sport.

In the Instagram video, Darren said: “You don’t always get what you want in this life.It’s tough. F***ing 29 now. I’ve been at the top of this sport since 2017. I entered in the UFC in 2015. I’m not retiring.

“This is not a retirement speech. I’m 29. That would be stupid to retire. But I’m on a bit of losing skid at the moment, I really am. I’m not finding my right ways and stuff like that. It’s crazy because when I’m in the gym sparring with all these best guys in the world, truly I’m in the element.

“But when I step there in the octagon, I just can’t seem to put things together. I have moments like in the second round where I’m untouchable then certain things happen.”

Darren Till has hinted that he will now take time away from the sport to “rethink” but hopes to return in 2023.

It is clear that the mixed martial arts fighter is struggling after a few years of crushing defeats within the sport and apologised to his fans for another loss.

Darren Till continued to express his frustration on Instagram as he said: “I just want to say to everyone there, whether you love me or hate me, I’m sorry.

“I tried to come and put a show on. I cut no corners. I train. Maybe I train too much. I train like a man demented. The past 13 weeks I gave my all. I give my all to this sport.

“I don’t know what to do now. I think I’m going to have a little bit of time off from the UFC and just rethink stuff. I’m not retiring. I want to fight soon.

“I want to fight next year, but I just want to spend Christmas with my family and spend time with everyone who supports me properly. My team back home and that’s it.

“Hope you enjoyed the fight, it was a bit of a war. Well done to Dricus.”