Till (photo via YouTube)

By FCF Staff

Darren Till returned to the win column at UFC 244 by defeating one of the promotion’s top middleweights. But, the former welterweight contender admits he had a massive case of the nerves prior to doing so.

Till faced Kelvin Gastelum at the New York event, and worked his way to a split decision victory. The bout marked the first time Till had fought since March, when he was brutally KO’d by Jorge Masvidal. It was also the British fighter’s middleweight debut.

After the card, Till reported the following, while talking to the press (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“Just to get in there tonight, I tell you,” Till said. “I was trying to fake an injury before walking out. I was thinking of an injury to fake because I just simply did not want to get in there.

“This is probably a thing fighters don’t talk about. But you know me and I’m honest. That’s just where I was at. Now, I’m here. Confidence is back. Like (expletive) all these middleweights. I’m coming for everything. It’s back.”

“Every fight, no matter what any fighter will ever tell you, they will be scared,” Till said. “If they tell you they’re not, it’s a blatant lie. This fighter wasn’t scared; I was terrified. I wasn’t shaking, but I just didn’t want to go. The magnitude of the event – I was doubting. I was thinking of ways to get out of the fight. This was only today and I’m just so scared.”

With the win, the 26-year-old Till extended his overall record to 18-2-1.