Darren Till once showed Tyson Fury the dangers of entering the octagon as he considered a career change.
By the end of 2019, Fury was still involved in negotiations for a rematch with Deontay Wilder, which ultimately took place the following February. He made his WWE debut while recovering from a cut, regularly calling out then-UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
He even claimed he was willing to come to the UFC to make the fight happen, although that always seemed ironic. And he was certainly put in his place when he sparred with then-welterweight Till, who took him down with ease during their session.
Darren Till knocked out Tyson Fury during MMA training
A full video was released of the light sparring and drill Darren Till gave to Tyson Fury in 2019. The Scouse fighter, who was about to meet Kelvin Gastelum, showed him how to stretch and guided him through some eye-catching exercises.
Fury looked incredibly powerful while throwing knees and elbows, but seemed to struggle a bit with the necessary movements to complete a takedown. Noting that he might make an oncoming attacker think twice about going in front of the legs with his quick hands, he underwent additional training.
But when it came to pushing the pace in any way, Till was able to find his legs and take Fury down before reaching full mount. It was remarkable to see, considering the huge size difference between the pair.
At the time, Till was fighting at 170 pounds and probably should have kept his walking weight pretty close to that weight after some grueling cuts. Meanwhile, Fury moved from the 253lbs he faced Otto Wallin to over 273lbs when he took on Wilder.
Now Darren Till is fighting Tyson's brother Tommy Fury
Five years later, Till has agreed to a boxing fight with Tyson's younger brother Tommy Fury. The pair announced their meeting last month with a press conference in London, and the fight is scheduled for January in Manchester.
There appears to be no love lost between the two sides, with Till getting into a shoving match with not only Tommy but also his father John Fury at their Misfits Boxing launch event. And he has even commented that he would be willing to be disqualified and take a kick to his rival's head if he loses that night.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
“I can get my leg up as fast as a flash,” he told the Express. “I kick them in the face, take them out, and then they're in a world of trouble. People like to laugh and joke, “Oh, until I got taken down by Driccus Du Plessis.”
“He is the current UFC middleweight champion. I've only ever been beaten by the best fighters on the planet. No one who isn't the best can beat me. And I've beaten the best. Let's not get it twisted here about what my caliber of fighting IQ level is. I've never lost outside of the UFC.
Darren Till recalls memories of sparring with Tyson Fury
Ultimately, his sparring with Tyson Fury was nothing more than a brief opportunity to film some viral content. But Till does remember the ease with which he was able to defeat the heavyweight boxing champion, and notes that he could do the same with his family.
“It was just a tongue-in-cheek comment, and it's on YouTube,” he added. “You see me and him sparring. We're just kind of messing around, but I'm going to go for the takedown, and, you know, just take him down with ease, of course.
“So if I can take out Tyson, I can definitely take out little John and Tommy, right? Here's the problem. I'm a realist. No one at that press conference was a threat to me, not John, not Tommy. Because if I want to turn around, and I turn around, and if someone punches me, I'll kick him or her in the face. I will.”
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