UFC: Charles Oliveira best lightweight in the world ‘including Khabib’, says Darren Till
- ‘The Gorilla’ thinks Brazilian has already eclipsed retired former title-holder Khabib Nurmagomedov
- British star seeks to emulate Oliveira as he looks to rebound from losing streak – ‘I’ll be right back there’
Darren Till believes Charles Oliveira is the best lightweight on the planet – including Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Oliveira, 32, captured the UFC lightweight title with a knockout of Michael Chandler in May, and picked up his first successful defence with a submission win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 last weekend.
Despite the strong start to his title reign, Oliveira is still living in the shadow of the division’s former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who vacated the throne when he retired in late 2020.
According to Till, however, the new champ has already surpassed his predecessor.
“He’s the best lightweight on the planet right now – including Khabib,” Till said of Oliveira on The MMA Hour on Monday. “He’s the best lightweight on the planet. Trust me.”
Till, who came up short in a welterweight title fight with Tyron Woodley in 2018 and has largely struggled since moving up to middleweight the following year, hopes to emulate the resurgence of Oliveira, who went 10-8 at the start of his UFC career before reeling off 10 straight wins.
“The Gorilla” got off to a strong start at 185 pounds, beating former interim title challenger Kelvin Gastelum by decision in his debut, but has since given up back-to-back fights. The first came when he lost a decision to Robert Whittaker in 2020. The second occurred this past September when he was submitted by Derek Brunson.
After the loss to Brunson, and a string of unfortunate injuries, Till said he’ll look back on 2021 as one of the worst years of his life.
“It’s been a really s*** year,” he said. “I’ve had a terrible year. I said this to my girlfriend the other day, I said in all my 28 years I’ve been on this earth, this is one of the s******.
“I feel like I’ve had nothing but a black cloud over me.”
UFC: Oliveira submits Poirier to silence doubters – ‘they talk, I do’
Despite his current rough patch, Till remains focused on his goal of winning the middleweight title, and said he sees Oliveira’s win over Poirier as “an example” that such things are possible.
“I know how f****** good I am,” he said. “It’s just a few little tweaks and adjustments and I’m right back there. I’ll be right back there breaking records and beating all these beasts. I promise you.”
