After the meteoric rise, came the fall.
Billed as one of the UFC’s next true stars, Darren Till was fast living up to his label. An engaging and enlivening mixed martial artist from Liverpool, he rode the promotion’s push by winning six of his first seven appearances. He drew the other, a Fight-of-the-Night winner in 2015.
So the Conor McGregor comparisons continued, with Till’s overall professional record sitting at a formidable 17-0-1.
But then he lost his welterweight title bout against champion Tyron Woodley by submission - his first championship test - in September 2018. A second successive defeat soon followed, in March last year, this time to Jorge Masvidal via knockout.
Previously impenetrable, the cracks had appeared. Some recalibration was required.
"I truly believe I'm a better fighter than Woodley, and I know I'm a better fighter than Masvidal," says Till, who rebounded in November with victory against Kelvin Gastelum, setting up a blockbuster middleweight match-up with Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
“And this is not me hating on his success. I'm truly 100 per cent happy for all the success Masvidal’s having and I hope he continues to have it.
“But I think [the defeats] needed to happen. I was too confident, too cocky, and just felt invincible. I felt I couldn’t be touched, I couldn’t be knocked down or knocked out, because it had never happened. I took shots from some of the biggest punchers ever and it had never happened.
“And in a twist of fate, knock-knock, and my confidence just went to zero. It was at 110 and went straight to zero. I was questioning so many things that never even entered my head in my 15-year career of fighting."
Till says the consecutive losses, and the split-decision bounce-back against Gastelum on his move up from welterweight, brought back a “humble confidence”.
“It was weird, because throughout my life I felt like Superman, invincible, that wherever I went in the world I’d win," he says. "In the UFC, same thing: just beat everyone and then just ‘boom-boom, knock, knock’.
“It did knock me a lot, but I’ve learned a hell of a lot. And I know this is a cliched thing to say, but I've proper matured. Not even as a fighter, but as a person.”
The maturation in profile, helped no doubt by his playful and hugely popular social-media persona, is evident this week. On Sunday, Till makes up one half of the headline act at UFC Fight Night 3, the fourth and final event to the inaugural Fight Island.
The card is stacked, featuring a trilogy-ending co-main event between Shogun Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, while Alexander Gustafsson returns to debut at heavyweight.
“And I’m the cream of the crop, me and Whittaker,” Till, 27, says. “I didn’t get here by chance, I got here by a lot of hard work and it’s paying off. It’s good to be on a historical event like this.”
In Whittaker, though, Till faces a huge test of his talent. Already a middleweight champion, the New Zealand-born Australian is back in the UFC following time away after losing his title to Israel Adesanya in October. Burnt out and in need of a break, Whittaker (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) arrived in the capital with a fresh “fire lit for the sport”.
Speaking to the media before Till, Whittaker said his upcoming opponent did not worry him, that it was he who possessed the more potent arsenal. Whittaker remains the division’s No 1-ranked contender.
“Of course, what would you expect him to say?,” Till says. “He should say that and I should say the opposite - that I’m better everywhere. But I’m not like that. I think Rob is potentially, probably more of a seasoned wrestler, a little bit better in that department. Jiu-jitsu-wise, I don’t know.
________________
Best photos from UFC 251 - Fight Island's first show
________________
“Striking-wise, he ain’t even close to my level. But he could come in and show me something new and, ‘bom, bom,’ and that’s how it is. He’s meant to say that. Would you expect him to say anything else?"
The cordial back-on-forth that has dominated the build-up maintains - somewhat.
“I’m not going to build anything there that isn’t,” Till says. “We’re both nice people, we’ve had a laugh on social media.
“But whether I like you or I don’t, I’m still going to try and annihilate you. And I do that to my teammates. So imagine what I’m going to do to someone who’s not. I’m sure he’s going to do the same.”
Take out the top contender - Till ranks fifth in challengers - and there’s only one route the Englishman with the previously torqued trajectory envisages
“If I beat Robert Whittaker, the only way to go is to the title,” Till says. “I’ve come up to middleweight - a lot of people say ‘he’s only had two fights’, but look at my two fights. But now if I beat Robert Whittaker, which is a big ask, a big mountain to climb, the only fight for me is a title fight. The only name I want to hear coming out of anybody’s mouth is [champion] Israel Adesanya.”
After the fall and the apparent fix, Till appears more ready than ever.
“I don’t want to sound cliched, but I feel the maturing I’ve done the past year, past six months is phenomenal,” he says. “Not even as a fighter; the maturing I’ve done mentality-wise.
“Just little things, being 100 per cent in in the fight game. I’ve never had motivation like this in my life.”
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
