Darren Till has never been one to hold back and this time, his target is the UFC itself.
As debates continue around the quality of recent fight cards, Darren Till has added his voice to the growing criticism, joining others who believe the promotion has lost its edge. Speaking candidly, the former title challenger didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts on the current state of the UFC.
“The UFC has gone to s*** a bit,” Till said. “I’m not happy with it. There’s just nothing there.”
Darren Till pointed to recent events as proof that the promotion has lost the energy that once made it must-watch.
“I’m sorry to say, the last London event was just f****** disastrous,” he said. “Back when Michael Bisping was fighting, the atmosphere was electric. Even when I got knocked out in London against Jorge Masvidal, the energy was unreal. The UFC hasn’t got that anymore. There’s no life in it.”
According to Darren Till, the issue goes beyond matchmaking, it comes down to leadership and passion at the top.
“It means more when the promoter is behind it and has passion,” he added. “Dana’s just lost his mojo.”
Darren Till believes the shift in quality ties directly to Dana White and his growing list of business ventures outside the UFC. From Power Slap to boxing and other projects, Till feels the UFC boss is no longer fully invested in the promotion.
“I do like Dana, but I think his ego is getting a bit out of control,” Till said. “I think he’s totally switched off from the UFC.”
“I don’t even watch it anymore,” he continued. “I couldn’t tell you half the people fighting. The events just aren’t juicy. There are very few stars left.”
Darren Till also took aim at the media dynamic surrounding the UFC, suggesting that reporters don’t push hard enough for answers.
“Every time Dana’s in a scrum, it’s like reporters are scared to say the real thing,” Till said. “When they do ask questions, he just says, ‘Who gives a s***?’”
“We give a s***. I give a s***,” he added. “So give us an answer. Take your ego away.”
Even with the UFC planning a blockbuster White House event, Darren Till remains unconvinced. The card, headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje, hasn’t sparked his interest.
“I look at the card, and it just doesn’t get my juices flowing like the old ones did,” Till said.
“Back in the day, you had fights like Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald, Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo—those cards were different,” he continued. “Now I look at this one, and I just think it’s a load of s***.”
“I’m not saying anything against them,” Till added. “I like Gaethje, I think he’s one of the best. But I don’t want to see him fight Topuria. I want to see Topuria fight Islam Makhachev or someone like that.”
For Darren Till, the message is simple: the UFC needs to rediscover what made it special or risk losing the fans who once couldn’t miss a card.
