Darren Till has just been involved in a social knockout brawl after his opponent was unable to continue… #Mixed Martial Arts
#boxing pic.twitter.com/cyVxq71p7h
— Mase (@cutman_mase)
July 6, 2024
Darren Till’s first foray into the sweet science was memorable, if not always for the right reasons.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran’s bout against Mohammed Muthi at Social Knockout 3 in Dubai was stopped in the second round after Muthi claimed he had been hit in the back of the head. Ultimately, Muthi was deemed unable to continue and Till was awarded the technical knockout victory.
That’s when things got chaotic: Muti approached Till, apparently to complain about an illegal punch, a brawl ensued, and others entered the ring to join the melee, with Till and Muti collapsing to the canvas before eventually being separated.
“This is martial arts. You deserve to get hit. If you’re not going to keep fighting, don’t fight. He’s not a fighter. He’s trying to be a fighter. He’s a coward,” Till said in his post-fight interview. “And I was just concentrating on myself and then he came and attacked me. I’m really sorry. I’m not that kind of guy. I’m a polite guy. I love martial arts. I love Dubai and I’ve been here since 2016. I was standing here concentrating on myself and then he came and attacked me with his team. I had to defend myself so I’m sorry guys. I’m sorry.”
Till initially planned to make his professional boxing debut Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was scheduled to compete on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, but the bout was canceled when the main event was postponed.
It will be Till’s first combat sports appearance since December 2022, when he lost by third-round submission to current middleweight champion Dorricus du Plessis at UFC 282. The 31-year-old from Liverpool had lost five of his previous six bouts inside the Octagon before walking away from the promotion in 2023. Till began his UFC career as an up-and-coming fighter, unbeaten in his first six bouts, but lost to Tyron Woodley in a 170-pound title fight in September 2018. This marked the start of a downturn that ultimately led to his departure from UFC.
