Coach: Till suffered torn ACL before Brunson fight

Darren Till entered Saturday's bout against Derek Brunson during UFC Fight Night with a completely torn ACL in his right knee, his coach Colin Heron told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

"It happened about nine weeks out, wrestling," Heron said after Till suffered his fourth loss over the veteran's last five fights, with Brunson winning via submission. "We got it scanned, looked at properly. The results came back as a completely torn ACL.

"So, he's out, isn't he? That was the advice from me and the doctors. Rest. You can't do nothing. Surgery is a must. No running, no fast movement, no impact."

Instead, Till proceeded with the fight. A long layoff and headlining a card that was initially set to be in his native England were among the reasons he went ahead with the clash. His last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker in July 2020.

There were moments during Saturday's fight when Till landed some combinations, but Brunson largely dominated the three-round affair before sinking in a rear-naked choke.

"You can't criticize his bravery, you can only criticize the decision - the gamble that didn't pay off," Heron said.