Darren Till’s boxing debut had a bizarre ending that has left the MMA fandom clutching their sides in laughter! In February 2023, it was reported that Till had asked to be released from his UFC contract due to his desire to pursue other avenues of interest outside the Octagon. Initially, the Liverpool native was set to make his professional boxing debut against former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez at the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event on July 20.

However, due to Tyson suffering from a health scare, the event was re-scheduled for November 15 instead and Till’s unwillingness to extend his training camp led to Uriah Hall replacing him on the July 20 card which will now feature Jake Paul facing BKFC star Mike Perry. Instead, Till decided to take on Mohammad Mutie at the ‘Social Knockout 3’ event in Dubai.

Despite a fiery weigh-in between Till and Mutie, their fight was largely a slow affair but in the second round, during a clinch exchange, Till landed a punch to the back of his opponent’s head which didn’t look particularly devastating but Mutie fell to the canvas. The referee and the doctor then stepped into the ring and the contest was waved off.

But things didn’t end there as Mutie then got back to his feet and got in Till’s face which led to the two men getting physical and surprisingly, secured a takedown on the former UFC star before being separated. Till was awarded the victory via TKO and in his post-fight interview, he stated, “‘(Jake) Paul, Tommy Fury, Mike Perry, they’re all running. They’re scared cowards, they do not want to fight me, I promise you, I swear to God.”

The entire affair has led to a wave of jokes being made at Till’s expense by the fandom for his lack of ‘takedown defense’ despite an extensive MMA career! Here’s a look at what the netizens had to say.

The chaotic ending to Darren Till’s boxing debut leads to hilarious reactions

From challenging for the UFC title against Tyron Woodley at UFC 228 to fighting against obscure opponents in the boxing ring, fans were shocked at the fall from grace of Darren Till

“Darren Till’s career fall needs to be studied”

Some fans took a jab at Till’s grappling abilities as they pointed out that despite his friendship and training sessions with Khamzat Chimaev, the Liverpool native seemingly didn’t absorb any of ‘Borz’s wrestling acumen

“How do you train with Khamzat and still can’t defend a takedown?”

Others took shots at his opponent’s behavior as they claimed that he was ‘pretending’ to be hurt by the rabbit punch and even referenced Aljamain Sterling’s DQ win over Petr Yan from UFC 259. However, Sterling was hit with a knee to the head when he was on the ground, so the situation is drastically different in this case.

“And the Aljamain Tony Award goes to whoever the hell that guy is”

Till’s struggle with wrestlers was evident in his UFC run and the fans didn’t let the opportunity pass them to continue taking shots at the former UFC star

“He still couldn’t stop a takedown”

Some fans claimed that his opponent didn’t want to fight and as such, decided to take the easy way out of the bout by claiming he was hurt by the rabbit punch

“Dude wanted a way out of that fight and took the first opportunity to fake it”

Yet again, Till didn’t escape the humorous jabs from the fans as they claimed he might be the first-ever fighter to set a new record inside the squared circle

“Till the first ever to be taken down in a boxing bout”

In conclusion, Darren Till’s boxing debut was far from what he might have hoped for when he decided to step away from the UFC. The fight’s chaotic ending has led to a massive wave of backlash from the fans and questions raised about his future. Ending his UFC run with 3-straight losses hasn’t helped his perception in the MMA sphere either, and it remains to be seen what’s next for the once-promising UFC welterweight contender. 

Do you think Darren Till should continue boxing or return to MMA? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.