UFC President Dana White has stated his belief that Darren Till was pushed to the top of the welterweight division too quickly by the promotion.
The 26-year-old Till had a rapid rise to stardom in the UFC that saw him get into title contention after racking up four wins in a draw in his first five Octagon outings.
However, Till has since suffered a submission loss to the champion at the time Tyron Woodley followed by a devastating knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal, which has been enough to make White come to the conclusion that Till needed more time to develop as a fighter before rising to the top of the 170lb ladder.
“I think Till went back to the drawing board,” White told ESPN. “He’s a young guy. After the win over (Donald Cerrone), we may have pushed him too soon. It happens sometimes when a guy gets that much steam behind him. Pump the breaks a little here. Let him get back and work on the things he needs to work on. He’s going to be around.”
“You come in and beat a guy like ‘Cowboy,’ and boom, you immediately get bounced right up into the middle of the rankings,” White continued. “(For) some people it’s the perfect time and (for) some people (it’s) a little soon. That weight division is nasty. It’s like murderers row in that top eight.”
