Darren Till is back in action this weekend at UFC Fight Night London, facing Jorge Masvidal in the main event.
The fighter last lost to then UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 228, a defeat the Till says “hurt.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever move past it,” Till told MMA Junkie. “I’m not ashamed to say it still hurts every day if it comes to mind. I’ve watched the fight many times, and it’s just something inside of me. Even if I get the rematch with Woodley and beat him, the first fight will still be a thorn inside of me. I’ve always said that openly, you can’t really go through this life – a normal life or the fighting life – with it all being highs. The lows do come, and I always said that a loss would come. A loss may come again. A loss may happen Saturday. I’m not scared to talk about it because it’s all reality. I am a realist.”
Not only did Till lose the opportunity to become welterweight champion at UFC 228, but lost for the first time as a professional MMA fighter.
Till wants to get back on track in London and he plans to do that with a first round knockout win on Saturday.
“If it happens, a lot of people will sit back and go, ‘He did what he said,’ but I also know the guy I’m facing, and I know it could turn into a five-round absolute war – blood, sweat and tears – and either one gets me excited,” Till said. “You can’t just have it in your mind. You’ve got to speak openly about what you want to do. I always speak openly about what I want to achieve and what I want to do, and I want to achieve a first-round knockout of Masvidal.”
UFC Fight Night London takes place on Saturday, March 16 from the 02 Arena in London, England with Darren Till and Jorge Masvidal headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
