1 month ago
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With UFC 319 around the corner, there is no better brain to pick than Darren Till's.
The ex-MMA star-turned Misfits boxer spent 12 minutes in the octagon with Dricus du Plessis and countless hours on the mats with Khamzat Chimaev.
Du Plessis and Chimaev will lock horns on Saturday night for the middleweight title in Chicago and Till has compared the magnitude of the headliner to an Avengers-style showdown.
He told Daily Mail Sport: 'It will be like the clash of the titans. I'm an Avengers nerd - this is like Thanos vs The Hulk. Khamzat being Thanos and Dricus being the Hulk, Thanos won the fight.
For the uninitiated, Thanos is the Marvel supervillain regarded as one of the most powerful beings in the universe and the Hulk is... the Hulk.
So it is irresistible force vs immovable object, but what makes these two so special?
Darren Till fought Dricus du Plessis (right) in 2022 and the UFC champion now takes on Khamzat Chimaev, who was Till's former training partner
Chimaev and Till, pictured either side of UFC president Dana White, are close friends
Till's bromance with Chimaev is well documented and the partners in crime training together for months, calling themselves the 'Smesh Brothers'.
Chimaev is still undefeated and can make elite fighters look like little boys. For Till, it is the Cechen-born Swede's mentality that sets him apart.
'It is his willing,' the Liverpudlian explains. 'He has an obsession and I just don't see how he's not going to win on Saturday.
'He is very persistent. One of the most persistent guys I've ever trained with and that's what will get him the win. It is going to be an amazing fight.'
But aren't all top fighters obsessed? When pushed Till pinpointed the detail of Chimaev's grappling that makes him such a nightmare to face.
'All UFC fighters are obsessed,' he conceded. 'I used to overtrain but what separates Khamzat I think is that you have to look at his grappling.
'Once he grabs hold of you, he doesn't let the hands go. His grappling manoeuvres are something extraordinary and that's what gets him the wins.'
So what of the South African champion, Till's third-round submission defeat by Du Plessis has actually aged well. Since their 2022 meeting, the victor went on to win his next five bouts, winning and defending the belt.
Chimaev's mentality and grappling sets him apart from other fighters, says Till
Till pushed Du Plessis harder than most and had him backed up and in trouble during their contest, only to run out of gas and lose by face crank with a couple of minutes to go.
'Dricus is very strong and he finds ways to win, almost any which way. His presence in the octagon is just formidable.
'But I think it is a 60/40 fight in favour of Khamzat. I can't see it going the distance. I might actually have a bet on it not going the distance.'
Till will be a fascinated observer this Saturday night, watching his friend face his old rival in his former division but the 32-year-old has his own battle to take care of later this month.
Till is gearing up to face Luke Rockhold (right) in the main event of Misfits 22
He takes on ex-UFC champion Luke Rockhold in the headliner of Misfits Boxing 22 on August 30.
'I'm very excited for this one,' Till says. 'He's a w****r, I'm a w****r as well, let's not forget that. The difference is that I know I am, he doesn't actually know!
So will Till feel a sense of longing to return to the cage or is he content with the single disciple of boxing?
He adds: 'I'm happy where I am right now, life is so good, I've got my health, great team, managers, coaches behind me, great girlfriend by my side so right now I'm content but you know, who knows in a year or two I might make the jump back. Let's see in a year or two.'
For now, it seems the realm of influencer boxing is perfectly tailored to one of combat sports' most colourful personalities.
Till is planning a boozy celebration if he beats Rockhold later this month in the ring
While Till is deep in the slog of training camp and having to resist the lure of sunny beer gardens, the Ibiza regular plans on making up for lost time in three weeks.
His celebration plans are as aggressive as his fight style and the 'Gorilla' joked that his lager limits will be severely tested.
'If I'm not cross-eyed two days later still drinking pints of Moretti I'll be disappointed in myself,' he said.
'I want to put myself towards near death. Obviously I can't die because I have responsibilities, wonderful children and a beautiful girlfriend and beautiful friends, so I can't die! But I want to test it, go close as I can get to it, that's what I'm talking about. It'll be a terrible day to be a Moretti.'
