Darren Till’s Coach Confirms He Completely Tore ACL While Training For Derek Brunson Fight

Michael Bisping recently revealed that he’d heard that Darren Till had damaged his ACL in the lead-up to his fight with Derek Brunson last weekend, which limited how he was able to train for the bout, and now the fighter’s coach has confirmed that was the case.

“It happened about nine weeks out, wrestling,” Till’s head coach Colin Heron told ESPN. “We got it scanned, looked at properly. The results came back as a completely torn ACL. So, he’s out, isn’t he? That was the advice from me and the doctors. Rest. You can’t do nothing. Surgery is a must. No running, no fast movement, no impact.

“Darren being Darren, he said, ‘Can we give it two weeks and see if I can start running and hit pads?’ And I’m like, ‘No, not really. A torn ACL doesn’t get better by itself. You’re talking surgery and then six months of rehab alone.’ But before you know it he’s talked me into it, as he does. I’ve really only got one option then: support him, whatever his decision is. If he’s not going to take my advice, I’ve got to stick with him. I can’t disown him. We made the best of it that we could.”

Despite his injury, Till did have Brunson in trouble at times on the feet, but Brunson was able to take him down and control him on the mat with relative ease over the course of the fight, resulting in a unanimous decision victory.

Till has lost four of his last five UFC fights and now features a lengthy absence from the Octagon as he faces the prospect of surgery and a long rehabilitation process.

Ross Cole
Ross launched MMA Insight (previously FightOfTheNight.com) in 2009 as a way to channel his passion for the sport of mixed martial arts. He's since penned countless news stories and live fight reports along with dozens of feature articles as the lead writer for the site, reaching millions of fans in the process.