Darren Till is less than a month away from challenging UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley for the gold at UFC 228.
The welterweight contender recently came under fire for his lackadaisical approach to fatherhood, but Till says it was all simply a misunderstanding.
“My girlfriend and my daughter, they know what’s what,” Till said on Obviously Fight Talk. “(My girlfriend) was right next to me when I was giving that interview, and she was laughing. Some people just need to stop trying to be offended. It might have come off as I don’t give two (expletive), but right now, it’s all about me until September. I have to be selfish. After the fight, everyone knows it’s downtime and holidays and going to see my daughter.”
Till is certainly not the first person to compete in MMA and be an allegedly bad parent, but he is one of the few to have vocalized such actions to the public.
There are just a few weeks until UFC 228 and Till knows that his single minded drive that got the fighter in line for a title shot.
“There were some days I couldn’t eat, because I just gave my whole life to the fighting, and it’s now paying off,” Till said.
A few days after Till came to his own defense, an Instagram video popped up on Till's page from the fighter's daughter, who defends her dad:
Here is a translation of what Till's daughter said, provided by MMA Junkie:
“I’m going to hit him, punch, punch, punch. I’m a ‘fight’ like you, dad.”
UFC 228 takes place on Saturday September 8 from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas with Tyron Woodley and Darren Till headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
