Darren Till shuts down retirement talk in the wake of devastating UFC 282 defeat to Dricus du Plessi but candidly admits he needs time to 'step away from UFC and rethink stuff' before any return to action
- Darren Till was submitted against Dricus du Plessi on the main card of UFC 282
- The bout marked Till's return to action after more than a year out with injury
- After the loss the middleweight hit back at calls for him to step away from MMA
Darren Till has candidly pondered the future of his MMA career after being defeated by Dricus du Plessi at UFC 282 on Saturday night.
Making his return to the Octagon for the first time in more than 15 months, Till quickly found himself on the receiving end of a barrage of strikes from his South African opponent in the opening frame, but survived to make it into the second round.
Following the break, the 29-year-old appeared reinvigorated and managed to utilise his striking to keep Du Plessi at bay whilst repeatedly landing his patented straight left.
![Darren Till has candidly pondered the future of his career after suffering defeat at UFC 282](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/11/16/65471765-0-image-a-2_1670776556874.jpg)
Darren Till has candidly pondered the future of his career after suffering defeat at UFC 282
However, Du Plessi recovered well in the third and managed to secure a takedown followed by a submission that condemned Till to his third UFC defeat in a row and his fifth in his last six fights with the organisation.
Speaking following the bout, Till insisted that he will not be retiring but that he intends on reevaluating his career going forward.
'You don't always get what you want in this life, it's tough. I'm 29 now, I've been at the top of this sport since 2017 I entered the UFC in 2015.
![The 29-year-old showed his resilience in a losing effort against middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/11/16/65471771-0-image-a-3_1670776566508.jpg)
The 29-year-old showed his resilience in a losing effort against middleweight contender Dricus du Plessis
![But Till was ultimately handed his third consecutive UFC loss by the South African](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/11/16/65471769-0-image-a-5_1670776573100.jpg)
But Till was ultimately handed his third consecutive UFC loss by the South African
'I'm doing this video because I feel like I should do it now, the right time is now. I'm not retiring this is not a retirement speech. I'm 29, that'd be stupid to retire but I'm on a bit of a losing skid at the moment.'
The former UFC welterweight title challenger also said that he has found it difficult in recent fights to replicate his performances in training whilst inside the Octagon.
'It's crazy because when I'm in the gym sparring with all of the best guys in the world I'm truly in my element but when I step in the Octagon I just can't seem to put things together.
![Till spoke about his future in fighting following the loss](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/11/16/65471775-0-image-a-12_1670776696085.jpg)
![Despite the defeat, the middleweight appeared to be in good spirits](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/12/11/16/65471773-11526419-Despite_the_defeat_he_appeared_to_be_in_good_spirits-m-22_1670777350361.jpg)
The former welterweight title challenger spoke in an emotional video following the fight
'I have moments like in the second round [Against Du Plessi] where I'm untouchable but then certain things happen. I just want to say to everyone, whether you love me or hate me, I'm sorry. I tried to come in and put a show on, I never cut no corners and I do really train.
'Maybe I train too much. I train like a man demented. The past thirteen weeks I've given my all and I've always given my all to this sport.
'Now I don't know what to do properly but I'm just going to have a little bit of time off from the UFC and just rethink stuff, I'm not retiring. I want to fight soon, next year, but I just want to spend Christmas with my family.'
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