Earlier this month, UFC 228 welterweight title challenger Darren Till came under fire when he suggested that he didn’t care about anything other than capturing the title from Tyron Woodley — not even his pregnant girlfriend or his young daughter.
“I’ve got a girlfriend who’s nearly seven months pregnant,” Till infamously said. “I don’t really care. I’ve got a daughter in Brazil right now who I haven’t seen for one year. I don’t really care. I just care about legacy and greatness. That’s what I’m in this for.”
Since then, Till has clarified, explaining that he only meant that he needs to be selfish and singleminded ahead of his title fight.
“It’s all about being selfish now until the eighth of September,” Till told the Obviously Fight Talk podcast (via MMAMania). “It’s funny, I haven’t even really read what people are saying but my girlfriend is sitting next to me right now, laughing. It comes to sort of right to stuff like that when my girlfriend is laughing and it’s offending grown men and grown women. That’s just funny shit. It doesn’t affect them.”
Just in case it still isn’t clear what Till meant, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping recently jumped to the aid of his countryman:
“What he’s saying is, right now his mission, his quest in life, is to be the best fighter in the world, win the world title and go down in history. Of course he loves his daughter,” Bisping said of Till on his “Believe You Me” podcast via Sports Joe.
“Of course he wants to see her. What he’s saying is, ‘Right now, I’m fighting for the title. I’ve got a seven-month pregnant girlfriend. I don’t give a fuck. I’ve got a kid down there I never see. I don’t give a fuck. The only thing that matters in my life right now is winning the belt.”
”Maybe the choice of words were not the smartest, not the best, but that’s what he’s saying. If you read between the lines. He’s not saying that he doesn’t give a fuck about his daughter. Even though that’s exactly what he does say. That’s not what he’s saying.What he’s saying is it matters so much to him.”
What did you think of Darren Till’s recent comments?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/14/2018.