Darren Till reveals Tom Aspinall played a key role in the early end of his UFC career

Till and Tom Aspinall were teammates at Team Kaobon in Liverpool, with Aspinall serving as one of Till’s main training partners for several years.

Reflecting on those sessions, Till now believes that regularly sparring with someone so much bigger was a poor decision in hindsight.

Aspinall accidentally injured ‘The Gorilla’ during preparation for his submission loss to Derek Brunson in September 2021.

After another loss to Dricus du Plessis, the 32-year-old left the UFC, having never truly recovered from that injury.

“I was scheduled to fight Derek Brunson in the UFC APEX,” Till said during a recent interview with Demetrious Johnson.

“Eight weeks before the fight, me and Tom Aspinall were training, because obviously he used to be my former training partner.

“When I look back, I never should have been training with a guy of his size because we used to go at it like crazy. It was 100 percent every time with me and Tom. And sometimes we were even like, ‘Oh, this is getting hard.’ He hits so hard. Well, he’s f—ing massive. He’s a big boy.”

“I remember one time we were wrestling and my knee got stuck in between his legs and my ACL tore.”

“That, for me, felt like the beginning of the end.”

Darren Till finds fresh start in boxing after UFC exit

Darren Till stepped away from the UFC in March 2023 to try his hand at boxing, and Dana White gave him the green light.

His debut was not without drama, ending in a brawl after his opponent claimed he had been hit with rabbit punches.

Since then, Till has put together three wins, including a recent knockout of Luke Rockhold at Misfits 22 on August 30.

Now, he is considering several high-profile names for his next bout. Andrew Tate, Tommy Fury, Jorge Masvidal and Tyron Woodley have all been mentioned as possible opponents.