Darren Till Compares Dominick Cruz’s Tough Career Period With His Own

Liverpudlian Darren Till is getting ready to face no.5 middleweight, Derek Brunson, this weekend. The 28-year-old is making his return to the octagon following a collar bone injury that forced him to pull out of his matchup with Marvin Vettori back in April.

Darren Till is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the UFC to come out of the United Kingdom. However, ever since his loss to Tyron Woodley at welterweight, ‘The Gorilla’ has been in a transition period. He’s made the move up to middleweight and has a record of 1-3 in his last four octagon appearances.

In a recent interview leading up to his matchup at UFC Vegas 36, Darren Till gave his take on his recent injuries and setbacks, likening his situation to that of the former bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, who has had his fair share of injury-related difficulties in the sport.

“It’s tough, it’s tough to like, have injuries and go through camps after camps and spend a lot of money. And then you know, obviously, to have to pull out like me last fight was very unfortunate because it was only like two or three weeks before when I broke my collarbone. I mean, if it was ten weeks before the fight and I broke my collarbone, I was definitely still fighting, but it’s just…”

ALSO READ: Middleweight Fighter Darren Stewart Made to Part Ways With UFC

“It reminds me a lot of when Dom Cruz was getting a lot of setbacks and injuries. And you’ve just got to come through them, you’ve just got to come through them. And here I am, you know, a few days before it and I’m a very happy man.”  

Dominick Cruz has had a career plagued with injuries. Despite that, ‘The Dominator’ has fought his way through multiple ACL tears, tendonitis, and, most recently, a broken shoulder. Clearly, Till, who recognizes the volatile nature of the sport, will hope to find his way back to a winning streak this weekend.

Will Darren Till become the middleweight champion?

Ever since making the move up to middleweight, Darren Till has a record of 1-1. However, one must also acknowledge the caliber of opponents he’s gone up against; Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker. The former, being a lethal title contender, while the latter is a decorated former champion.

As for becoming the champion of the division, Darren Till has a task ahead of him this weekend. Veteran Derek Brunson, who is on a four-fight win streak of his own, will look to extend it further. However, if Till can get the job done this weekend, he could next in line for a title shot soon after.

Considered by many to be a perfect clash of styles, Darren Till vs Israel Adesanya will be a striking fan’s dream come true. ‘The Gorilla’ certainly has the skills and the size to take on Adesanya, but first, he must make his way to the top.

What do you think? Can Darren Till become the middleweight champion? Let us know in the comments.

Watch This Story: 5 Times Conor McGregor Brutally Trolled Khabib Nurmagomedov