10 Biggest MMA Prospects Pushed Too Soon

When Dana White admits they pushed a fighter too hard, you know mistakes have been made.

In the space of a year, Darren Till went from the undercard of the UFC’s European shows to one of the sport’s most highly regarded prospects; a charismatic trash talker with a big cult following and coming off wins over Cowboy Cerrone and Stephen Thompson. Despite this, questions were raised over the legitimacy of Till’s rise; Cowboy was on a two fight skid and undersized for the division, while most journalists scored the Thompson fight in favour of the American.

Whether through hype or the need for a British star following Michael Bisping’s retirement, the UFC thrust Till into a pay-per-view main event against Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at UFC 228. With some bookmakers going as far as to make the Scouser an odds-on favourite

Till landed just one significant strike in the match, getting dropped early in the second before Woodley ended the match with a D’Arce choke late in the round, while another main event loss against Jorge Masvidal further hampered The Gorilla’s stock.

Till has recently teased a move to Middleweight, but with a fighting style he can't rely on to be successful. A sad crossroads for a fighter who had the MMA world at his feet a year earlier.