DARREN TILL’S decision to train with Khamzat Chimaev will do him the world of good, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes.
Former welterweight title challenger Till recently upped sticks to train at the renowned AllStars Gym in Sweden to help get his mojo back after consecutive losses.
Till’s brief stint in Stockholm saw him train with undefeated UFC prospect Chimaev, whose grappling is fast becoming the most-feared in the promotion.
And Bisping – Britain’s first and only UFC titleholder – believes the Liverpudlian’s decision to go and get different opinions will be beneficial for his bid to become a world champion.
When asked about the benefits of training with Chimaev, The Count told SunSport: “It’s huge, it’s huge.
“Listen, all respect to him, he’s a very loyal guy and that’s very admirable. And good for him, it’s a quality we want to see in people.
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“But that aside, if you want to be the best, if you want to be the champion of the world. You’ve got to be selfish and you’ve got to do what’s right by you.
“And I’m not saying he’s doing wrong by staying with Colin [Heron], that’s not what I’m saying at all.
“But what he has to do is explore other avenues. He has to go to other places, he has to train with other coaches, he has to train with other fighters. And that’s what he’s doing.
“He went out to Sweden and now he’s in Las Vegas doing a full camp with Khamzat and is going to be there until April 9.”
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Till’s sessions with Chimaev – who is gearing up for a showdown with Gilbert Burns – has breathed new life into his approach to training.
Bisping revealed: “I’ve been spending a lot of time with them and he was telling me, ‘It’s just so inspiring’, for Darren, ‘To see the way that Khamzat works and to see the different people prepare and train for a fight.’
“For me, the whole way along I was learning. There’s a reason why I won the belt towards the end of my career because the whole time along you’re learning.
“Taking a bit of that; you try it and it’s not for you. You try this and you do that. You try this approach, you learn that technique.
“This coach shows you something there, you steal a bit from him. You tweak, you move along and hopefully, you’re where you need to be.
“It’s always a learning curve, it’s a work in progress.
“And sticking, or staying, in one place working with the same guy, doing the same s**t over and over again isn’t going to get you there.
“It’s a cliched sentence, but doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. And it really is when it comes to mixed martial arts.
“You’ve got to go and train with other people. There are a million techniques out there.
“There’s lots of little things that you pick up from people. And if you’re sticking with the same guy every day, you’re going to be stagnant.”
Till, 29, hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since suffering a submission loss to Derek Brunson last September.
The pride of Liverpool is in the final stages of recovering from a knee injury and expects to be back inside the octagon in the next “two or three months.”
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Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping spoke to SunSport ahead of the release of his documentary.
BISPING: THE MICHAEL BISPING STORY is available to rent or own on digital from March 21.