Darren Till went after Dana White in blunt terms this week, accusing the UFC boss of being checked out and letting the promotion drift away from the kind of fight buildup that used to make big events feel huge. Till’s complaint was not just about A.I. promos. He made it sound like the whole vibe around the UFC has flattened out.
That criticism carries some weight because Till is not talking as a random former fighter with an axe to grind. He was one of the UFC’s biggest U.K. names during his rise, fought Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title in 2018, and later shared the cage with Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker, and Derek Brunson. By the time he left the promotion, he had gone 1-5 in his last six UFC appearances and asked for his release so he could recover and look at other options outside the company. His most recent outing was a unanimous decision win over Darren Stewart in Misfits Boxing, and he was also back in headlines after his Andrew Tate fight plans blew up.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Till said,
“I just think Dana’s ego is getting a little bit too much out of control. I think he’s totally switched off from the UFC. I don’t even watch the UFC no more, really. I couldn’t tell you half the people who fight on it. The events just aren’t juicy no more. I think they’ve got very few stars left.”
He then turned to the way White deals with questions from the media and made it clear that part annoys him just as much as the product itself. Till said,
“And I’m pissed off, to be honest, with the media side of things. Every time Dana is in a scrum, it’s like these reporters are scared to say the real thing. And when they do ask questions, Dana is sort of like, ‘Who gives a s–t?’ We give a s–t! I give a s–t, so give us a f–king answer, baldy. And just get your ego, take your ego away. I’m sorry to slag him … We give a s–t, so give us some f–king answers. What are you on about, ‘Who gives a s–t?’ It just annoys me. It’s just too much ego.”
Darren Till says UFC A.I. promos cannot replace the old fight-night build
Till argued that the promotion has moved away from the kind of cinematic packages that used to sell the stakes of a fight before the cage door even shut. He said,
“When have you seen the UFC when they were doing them promos before? Where you’re waiting in the arena and I come up on the screen … there’s airy music behind it and it’s like ‘I’m gonna kill this guy.’ He’s gonna kill me, and we both walk out. Where’s all the promos gone? The Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey where they had classical music behind it and we watched Ronda Rousey grow in judo and lose in the Olympics. Where’s the Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier where it’s fighting demons? Where have they gone?”
“Because when I’m running on the treadmill and I need a bit of motivation, I watch that s–t,” he said. “And when Mike Perry and I fight in Bare Knuckle, I’m going to sit down with David [Feldman] and Conor [McGregor] and go, ‘Right, we’re doing the promo to end all promos. Where’s all that gone? Where’s the Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor promo gone? And you’re just sat there saying ‘Who gives a s–t?’ We give a s–t you fat headed pin.”
His larger point was that the UFC no longer sells anticipation the way it used to, even though it still has the money and reach to do it better than anyone else.
Watch the full interview below:
