Former UFC middleweight star Darren Till, having been there and done that, has some advice for Israel Adesanya for his UFC 305 clash against Dricus Du Plessis. ‘Izzy’, of course, is set to face ‘DDP’, the reigning middleweight champion on August 17 in Perth, Australia. And Till, who fought Du Plessis at their UFC 282 clash two years ago, has some tips for ‘Izzy’ so he could defeat the South African, something Till himself had failed to do.

Adesanya, of course, is fighting not only to try to regain the title which he had unceremoniously lost last year, but also to settle personal scores with his fellow ‘African brother’. ‘Izzy’ and ‘DDP’ have been involved in a very real, palpable, and heated feud since last year, after Du Plessis made comments Adesanya saw as questioning his African-ness. It was in this context that the Englishman took to X and told the former champion to mainly throw a lot of feints since ‘DDP’ tends to react to them and stand his ground when the reigning champ is closing the distance.

“Got some advice for Izzy on how to fight DDP on Saturday. Lots of feints… he reacts to them so much and throws from the hills. Then you can step back. Have a look and either for for the punch combo or knee maybe a kick… DDP will rush in. Instead of standing back or going back like most of these silly stupid strikers do.

“Stand ur ground and just hit him with either again the punch combo or even a knee up the middle. I personally love the elbow as they are lunging in but it’s whatever suits at that time and whatever you have practiced.
Hope this advice goes well with you IZZY,” Till wrote in part.

It is difficult to ascertain how serious the post is since some of it seems to be dripping with sarcasm and irony. His advice to ‘Izzy’ is, at best, lackluster, with both tips being things that Adesanya usually does, anyway. Feints are an essential part of ‘Izzy’s elite striking game, which is almost exclusively built around perfectly timed counters combined with ‘Izzy’s excellent knack for distance management. As his old rivals Adesanya and Du Plessis prepare to fight for the title, Till is on the opposite side of the equation.

How Dricus Du Plessis ended Darren Till’s career

Darren Till’s career, after showing immense promise early in his UFC stint (which started in 2015) fizzled out last year. The Englishman was a great technical striker and quickly established himself as someone to watch out for by winning his first six fights in the UFC. However, a couple of consecutive losses in 2018 and ’19 derailed his hype somewhat. However, it was largely seen as only a bump in an otherwise promising career. But everything started to go horribly wrong in 2020, which is when his knee troubles started.

The first time Till was bothered by the knee which would end his MMA career was in his Fight Night clash against Robert Whittaker. It turned out he had torn in MCL against the Kiwi, which was made exponentially worse by a torn ACL the next year before he could even recover from his first injury. By the time he fought Dricus Du Plessis in 2021, he was virtually on one knee. As if things weren’t bad enough, he tore his ACL again in the ‘DDP’ clash, which turned out to be the last.

While the Englishman has vowed he would take only a couple of years off to let his injuries heal and be back in the UFC soon, for now, he is relegated to fighting no-name minor celebrities on influencer boxing cards. However, given his experience and undeniable talent, it would not be surprising to see Till back in action in the UFC octagon in a couple of years. What do you think about Darren Till’s advice for Israel Adesanya? Let us know in the comments below.