Darren Till picked up a massive and much-needed victory over Kelvin Gastelum, but nerves almost got the best of him.
Till vs. Gastelum served as the co-main event of UFC 244 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City last night (Nov. 2). “The Gorilla” was moving up in weight class after suffering losses to Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal. Till emerged victorious over Gastelum via split decision.
Darren Till Says Nerves Almost Derailed UFC 244 Performance
During the UFC 244 post-fight press conference, Till told reporters that he was nervous before making his walkout (via MMAFighting.com).
“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. But this fight I wasn’t scared, I was terrified. I wasn’t shaken. I just didn’t want to go. The magnitude of the event, everything, I was doubting, I was thinking of ways to get out of the fight. This was only today and I’m just so scared.
“And then at the faceoff I’m like, ‘Darren, come on, pull yourself together. Now we’re going to win this fight the way we planned. We’re not gonna let him touch ya, and you’re gonna win it.’ I knew it was going to be hard to knock him out, I know I’ve got the power but I know he’s a tough cookie and that’s just how it is. Fighters might not say it, but I’ll always say it, whether it’s good or bad, I’ve been criticized in the past or whatever, but that’s where I was at today as soon as I woke up.”
