Du Plessis: Struggling Till ‘In His Own Head’

Fast-rising UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis may not have to beat 185-pound veteran and former welterweight Darren Till at UFC 282 this weekend in “Sin City” because “The Gorilla” may have already defeated himself.

That’s according to comments “Stillknocks” made during the UFC 282 media day on Wednesday (video here), just a couple of days out from their pay-per-view (PPV) main card clash at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I think he’s in his own head,” Du Plessis said (via MMA Junkie). “When he started out, he was extremely motivated, he was a force at 170, he was a big 170, he was imposing his style on people. Once you get to the big boys at middleweight, it’s a completely different story. I think he took the move up as almost an easier route and that’s not the case at all.”

Till, who turns 30 later this month, has dropped four of his last five and was finished in three of those losses. “The Gorilla” was hoping to replicate his success at welterweight — minus the excruciating weight cut — after jumping up to 185 pounds in late 2019.

Didn’t happen.

“We hit a little harder, everybody’s a little stronger at 185, and I believe that was where the big mistake came,” Du Plessis continued. “Then, of course, Darren Till losing the big fight against Masvidal, getting back against Gastelum it was not an amazing performance but he got the ‘W,’ and then getting those losses, definitely the mental aspect, that’s where his biggest downfall came and I don’t think he recovered from that. I think that’s where he’s his own worst enemy.”

Despite a “low point” in his UFC career, rest assured Till does not believe in any of that “mental health bullshit.”