Darren Till now has his first boxing match in the books – and it was a peculiar one. The result might have affected most people, but it did not dull his spirits one bit. The British star looks forward to numerous high-profile matchups. Nobody achieved anything dreaming in limited capacities. Hence, Till already has a blockbuster ex-UFC peer in mind for his next contest – Nate Diaz.
Till faced pugilist and influencer Mohammad Mutie on Saturday at the Social Knockout 3 event at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. During an exchange in the clinch, ‘Gorilla’ touched a slight rabbit punch to the back of Mutie’s head. A massive brawl ensued while Mutie charged Till; Till got the R2 TKO win. Reacting to the matter on socials, he made the daring call to Diaz.
1st one done, …Thanks for the support. Not the ending we wanted but some people aren’t real fighters. Next fight 4-8 weeks…[separate post] Just thinking…Need a real boxing fight.
Darren Till via Instagram (@darrentill2.0)
The fight was Till’s first since requesting (and securing) his UFC release. While Darren Till’s long-term roadmap is unclear, boxing persists. In a different post today, he shifted focus to a scrap vs. Nate Diaz. Diaz, who defeated Jorge Masvidal by a 10-round majority decision in their Fanmio Pay-per-view headliner.
Diaz and ‘Gamebred’ both connected entertainingly on some power-shot combos like tried and tested boxing staples. Their affair proved one for ages. The Stockton star’s future is unclear. After the fight, he called on Jake Paul as a potential next opponent. Moreover, he’s also interested in running things back with Leon Edwards someday. Chances are Diaz might entertain a fight against Till in the future.
Could Darren Till meet Nate Diaz in UFC again?
The Pioneer gangster exercises fickle deviltry true to his nature. Nate Diaz is a gangster to the core. Boxing? MMA? He does not give a hoot; he’ll douse a challenge wherever he feels like. Now that the Stockton native has transitioned to a squared circle in free agency, he has much more freedom to choose his fights. Yet, he throws out challenges at old UFC peers. Could Darren Till be one of those someday?
Nate Diaz, Darren Till (Source: UFC.go.com/express,co.uk)The Liverpool star incurred a knee injury in 2020 against Robert Whittaker and another one leading up to a main event bout against Derek Brunson. Like Diaz, Darren Till also wants to return to the UFC one day. He revealed a two-year timeline of what can happen to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto.
I want to get some injections in my knee and really take care of my knees…Some of the stuff I want to inject into my knee, am I going to pass some of these [anti-doping] tests? Maybe I’ll get surgery…Maybe I could give myself two years off from the UFC and come back. See what’s out there for two years, make my body healthy.
Darren Till in an Exclusive Interview with ESPN MMA (@espnmma) / X-Advertisement-
The UFC Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP) standards have seen a tune-up after the split with USADA. The UFC Prohibited List of Testing Pools still follows WADA Technical Documents. But Till (18-5-1) might find some recluse and leeway for his knee should it ever come under harm. CBO Hunter Campbell already threw his support behind him; given he actually makes the return.
Until then, he plans to continue in a striking discipline rather than an MMA fight. He might return someday, as might Diaz. The Stockton native could soon just take umbrage and dismiss him off-hand. If not, this could prove an interesting matchup.
