Darren Till knocked out his opponent 22 seconds into the second round in his bare-knuckle debut at BKFC. The victory marks Till's fourth win since leaving UFC, with his previous three coming in boxing. Till was knocked down in the first round but recovered to finish the fight with a left hand in the second.
Darren Till made a statement in his bare-knuckle fighting debut, stopping his opponent 22 seconds into the second round at a BKFC event on May 30, 2026.
Till, 33, enters bare-knuckle boxing carrying an 18-5-1 record built across a UFC career that saw him compete at welterweight and middleweight. The Liverpool-born southpaw stands six feet tall with a 74-inch reach and trains out of Astra Fight Team. Known by his nickname "The Gorilla," Till posted a striking accuracy of 46 percent during his MMA career, landing 2.3 significant strikes per minute — numbers that reflect a measured, calculated approach on the feet rather than volume output.
The victory is Till's fourth consecutive win since departing the UFC, with the previous three coming in the boxing ring. His BKFC debut was not without adversity: Till was knocked down in the first round before regrouping and finishing the fight with a left hand early in the second. The finish underscored both his toughness under pressure and his southpaw power.
Why it matters
- Till has now strung together four straight wins across combat sports disciplines since leaving the UFC, suggesting a sustained competitive resurgence.
- The bare-knuckle format places a premium on punching accuracy and durability — qualities the finish demonstrated Till possesses in this new arena.
- A high-profile name completing a comeback-style run across boxing and BKFC keeps Till relevant as a crossover draw between MMA and combat sports at large.
