Is the UFC in need of a big face? You see, we don’t know if Conor McGregor will ever return; Khabib Nurmagomedov retired a while ago. Sure, we have Jon Jones, but he is 37 and could retire soon. Next, Alex Pereira had been bailing out the promotion from falling apart by saying yes to fights on short notice. But let us not forget that he is also 37 years old and although he doesn’t plan on retiring anytime soon, he may not be around for the longest time either.

In the wake of this, is the promotion trying to find a new superstar? Well, an ex-UFC fighter opined just that. We are talking about Darren Till.

He joined Michael Bisping’s podcast on YouTube, and stated: “I just made a promise to Dana White, give me two to three years to get sorted, and I’ll be back. From what I’m seeing on the outside, you know I am quiet a calculated guy, the UFC is crying out for superstars right now. There’s no stars in the UFC. They are gone and been done at the level, especially at my weight division.

“I am bigger and stronger, like when I did move up to the middleweight, I still had sort of the welterweight frame. I fell like I grew into that middleweight frame now. Look, no disrespect but if I come up against Dricus and Sean, these guys, I just really think I would do a number on them.”

That’s an interesting take, considering the last time he fought Du Plessis, it ended with him tapping out. It took place back in Dec. 2022. UFC 282 witnessed the South African fighter submit Till through a face crank in round 3. In fact, ‘The Gorilla’ exited the UFC after back-to-back losses to Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, and Dricus Du Plessis.

However, his bold take (that the middleweight division doesn’t have stars) might ruffle some feathers. Khamzat Chimaev.

He was on the path to stardom, but health issues stopped him from competing as frequently as he would have wanted to. His fights are still dominant, but the fighter once looked like he was on the path to the top, but is yet to feature in a title fight. Then, let us not forget that ‘Borz’ and Till quickly became friends, training together and talking about each other.

For now, ‘The Gorilla’ is focused on boxing, carving out a new chapter under Misfits Boxing. After knocking out Anthony Taylor in his debut, he is gearing up to face former UFC fighter Darren Stewart in Manchester later this month. But clearly, his long-term plans involve getting back inside the octagon. Till may be brushing off Du Plessis now, but let’s rewind to their UFC 282 clash.

What happened when Till Dricus Du Plessis?

If we’re keeping the receipt, it was the South African who rag-dolled him to the mat, securing multiple takedowns and nearly ending things early. Round two? That was Till’s moment. He had Du Plessis stumbling after landing some crisp shots, looking like the superior striker. But MMA isn’t just about striking, is it? Grappling has always been Till’s Achilles’ heel, and round three was a masterclass in exposing it. Du Plessis took him down (again) and sealed the deal with a neck crank. Tap, tap, goodnight.

That win catapulted Du Plessis into the middleweight top ten, where he bulldozed through Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker before eventually capturing the title. Since then, he has beaten Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya to solidify his reign. Meanwhile, Till pivoted to boxing, made a name for himself in Misfits, and is now eyeing a comeback.

Is the UFC really starved for big names, or are we just in the middle of a generational shift? McGregor’s star power isn’t what it once was, but guys like Islam Makhachev, Sean O’Malley, and ‘El Matador’ are stepping up.

Till clearly sees an opening, a chance to shake up a division ruled by the same man who last made him tap. Will he return and prove his words right? Or will the octagon be a harsh reminder that time waits for no one? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!