‘He’s doing what I did a few years ago’ – Darren Till impressed by rapid rise of Paddy Pimblett who will co-main event UFC 282

Darren Till has been impressed with how quickly fellow scouser Paddy Pimblett has made an impact in the UFC.

The Gorilla was the first fighter from Liverpool to really make a splash in the UFC and he even convinced the promotion to hold an event on Merseyside in 2018.

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Four years on, poor form and several injuries have derailed Till's MMA career which he hopes to get back on track when he takes on South African brawler Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282 this weekend.

However, ahead of his first fight in 15 months, Till is no longer the most popular Liverpudlian on the UFC roster as The Baddy has enjoyed a breakout year in 2022.

Pimblett signed for the UFC in 2021 and scored a knockout win in his debut which was on the same night Till slumped to a third-round submission loss against Derek Brunson.

Since then, the 27-year-old has scored back-to-back submissions victories in massive shows at the O2 Arena in London and earned himself a legion of new fans.

After Jiri Prochazka withdrew from UFC 282 due to injury, Pimblett’s bout with 11-fight UFC veteran Jared Gordon was elevated to the co-main event despite the fact it features two unranked lightweights.

This is purely due to the hype surrounding Pimblett who has done a great job at marketing himself since joining the UFC, according to Till.

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“I think advertising himself-wise he’s doing perfectly, he’s doing it great, he’s doing what I did a few years ago," Till told talkSPORT.

"I've let my foot off the gas a little bit as I just want to focus solely on one thing right now. Everything he’s doing is perfect, he’s winning his fights, talking the talk and walking the walk."

Pimblett has quickly earned himself a reputation for someone who gains too much weight between fights after admitting he walks around 50lbs above the lightweight limit due to his love of junk food.

However, after bumping into Pimblett during fight week, the middleweight contender believes that concerns about his fluctuating weight are blown out of all proportion.

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“I think he’s got a little bit of a hard fight on Saturday, but he looks in good shape. I seen him the other day and he was dead skinny,” Till added.

“Not even skinny but he looks trimmed up and doesn’t look like he’s lost lots of weight dead quick because everyone thinks he has because he was fat a few months ago.”

Ultimately, Till couldn’t be happier to see one of his own quickly making a name, and more importantly, some good money for himself through the UFC.

"I’m happy for him. I’m just happy to see people actually succeed and make money,” he concluded.

“That’s a good thing, we shouldn’t hate on things like that. That’s good, so I’m just happy for all his success."