Former UFC fighter Darren Till has confirmed his opponent for his upcoming bare-knuckle boxing debut.
Till recently inked a multi-fight contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) and is slated to make his first appearance in the middleweight division at BKFC 90. The event is scheduled to take place on May 30 at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, England.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Till, known as “The Gorilla,” announced that he will face influencer boxer and ex-Bellator fighter Aaron Chalmers on May 30.
Till, a former UFC welterweight title contender, was last seen in action at Misfits 22, where he secured a third-round knockout victory over ex-UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold to claim the promotion’s bridgerweight title. Prior to that, the 33-year-old Liverpudlian achieved consecutive wins against Anthony Taylor and Darren Stewart under the Misfits banner in the previous year. His professional MMA record stands at 18 wins, 5 losses, and 1 draw, including a 6-5-1 record in the UFC.
Meanwhile, Chalmers has two previous fights in bare-knuckle boxing. He began his BKFC career with a third-round knockout win over Chas Symonds at BKFC 72 in April of the previous year, followed by a second-round stoppage of Jack Fincham at BKFC 81 in September. The 38-year-old Englishman famously participated in an exhibition bout against legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather in February 2023, which ended in a draw. Chalmers also compiled a 2-2 record during his four-fight tenure with Bellator MMA between 2019 and 2020.
Darren Till Explains His Motivation for Moving to BKFC
In his interview with Ariel Helwani, Darren Till elaborated on his decision to sign with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Despite finding success in Misfits Boxing, Till revealed that he ultimately opted for BKFC due to an exceptionally lucrative offer he found impossible to refuse.
“I have to just say, the reason Bare Knuckle happened is because I couldn’t turn down the offer,” Till stated. “It was irrefusable. … It excited me. It got my juices flowing. It’s a tough old sport from what I’ve been watching. It is tough. These guys, they’re not your traditional martial artists. They’re all just very gritty, hard-punching guys. So, you’ve got to come in here with a different type of mentality, which we will be doing.”
