Coach: Darren Till suffered MCL tear in Robert Whittaker fight at UFC on ESPN 14

UFC middleweight standout Darren Till’s report of a knee injury during his fight with Robert Whittaker was verified by a recent trip to the doctor, according to Till’s coach.

Till suffered a torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) in the second round of the UFC on ESPn 14 headliner, Colin Heron told ESPN, and will need to be in a cast for six weeks while he recovers. The team will reassess Till’s next steps afterward.

“Doctors are amazed he was able to stand up for the last three rounds,” Heron wrote in a text message.

A follow-up request for comment wasn’t immediately returned by the coach.

Till went five rounds with Whittaker in a razor-close contest of technical fighting. The final scores were unanimous in favor of Whittaker, 48-47, after a late surge from the ex-champ.

Till dropped to 1-3 in his past four outings and now stands at 1-1 in the middleweight division, where he moved after a title loss to now-former champ Tyron Woodley and knockout defeat against Jorge Masvidal.

Medical suspensions from UFC on ESPN 14 ordered a 30-day term for Till with 21 days no contact, but that layoff is officially extended.

In a post on his official Instagram account, Till believed the fight could have been scored 3-2 in his favor, but gave praise to Whittaker and vowed to become a better fighter.

And of course, Till also included a little dig at his longstanding rival, Mike Perry.