Darren Till talks potential UFC return, plans after Yoel Romero bare-knuckle boxing fight at BKFC 94 Manchester

Darren Till has expounded upon the plans for his combat sports future after his imminent bare-knuckle boxing matchup against the dangerous Yoel Romero. 

Till made waves in the combat sports community with his triumphant bare-knuckle boxing debut in the BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) earlier this year.

Moreover, "The Gorilla" has been linked to a potential return to the gloved boxing realm in Misfits Boxing, in addition to a possible comeback to the sport of MMA under the UFC banner. 

Darren Till headlines BKFC 94 Manchester against fight game legend, fellow UFC alum Yoel Romero

Speaking to veteran journalist Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show, Darren Till addressed his next fight.

The Liverpudlian would be taking on fellow former UFC star Yoel Romero at BKFC 94 Manchester (aka BKFC 94). Their much-awaited matchup would headline the bare-knuckle boxing event at the AO Arena in Manchester in Till's home country, England, on September 26. 

The BKFC has listed Till vs. Romero as a cruiserweight matchup on its official website. That said, it's also being advertised as a 190-pound catchweight showdown.

Ergo, fans have pointed out that, technically speaking, their weighing in at 190 pounds -- which is well within the 205-pound cruiserweight limit and above the 185-pound light heavyweight limit -- could be categorized as a cruiserweight matchup. 

The technical nuances aside, many observers have also jestingly referenced the long-running joke in the combat sports community, that of Till lightheartedly suggesting that he's scared of fighting Romero. 

Well, during his conversation with Helwani, Till acknowledged the joke and indicated that although he and most others would be understandably a tad scared of a Romero matchup, he's courageously signed up to take on the fearsome Cuban combatant.

Also, he emphasized that Romero is 49 years of age, while he's just 33. A number of experts feel that'll surely play in Till's favor, as his older counterpart is probably past his athletic prime. Regardless, the Englishman begged to differ, citing that the "Soldier of God" is known to be an athletic anomaly who's long defied the shackles of ageing. 

Darren Till had asked for UFC veteran Mike Perry and BKFC great Lorenzo Hunt; "The Gorilla" is open to Misfits Boxing and UFC returns

Incidentally, BKFC founder and president David Feldman recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and announced the Darren Till vs. Yoel Romero matchup. Till, during his talk with Helwani, acknowledged the same and praised Feldman for his love for bare-knuckle boxing. 

Furthermore, "The Gorilla" made an allusion to his long-awaited grudge match against his 'frenemy' -- ex-UFC welterweight and reigning BKFC King of Violence champion "Platinum" Mike Perry. As of this time, Perry is booked to return to MMA against BJJ savant Dillon Danis. They'll headline Duel Arena 1 in Orlando on August 29. 

On the other hand, there's bare-knuckle boxing legend and BKFC icon Lorenzo Hunt, who's the first-ever BKFC three-division champion, having notched the light heavyweight, cruiserweight, and ironweight titles in the promotion. 

Considering the aforementioned elements, Till revealed that he'd initially asked for Perry and Hunt in the BKFC, but he was booked against Romero first. 

Till stated, "Ariel, it doesn't matter who they present. I've been like this since the start of my career. I don't care who they present. They (BKFC) threw names at me. I asked for (Mike) Perry. I asked for (Lorenzo) Hunt. And they said, 'What about Yoel (Romero) first?' And I said, 'Yeah. Go on. Let's go. Let's do it.'" 

The Muay Thai veteran notably knocked out former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold to capture the inaugural MFB bridgerweight title under the Misfits Boxing banner last year. As such, Till signaled that he's open to lacing up the professional boxing gloves again in Misfits Boxing, besides teasing a potential fight against MVP MMA founder and influencer-cum-boxer Jake Paul. 

Till said, "I'm gonna say I'm on a resurgence from the UFC. I'm on a resurgence. Just gonna take everyone out in the bare-knuckle. Maybe go back to the Misfits and take Tommy (Fury) out, take Jake (Paul) out."

In regard to his oft-discussed MMA comeback to the UFC, Till highlighted:

"And then who knows after that? Maybe it's pro boxing or back to the UFC if (UFC CEO and president) Dana (White) will have me; 'cause I've been saying some unsavory comments about him -- have to get past that curveball first." 

He later added, "And then let's see, you know, when I beat Yoel, who's next? Hunt or Perry?" 

Darren Till and Yoel Romero's respective bare-knuckle boxing journeys

Presently, Darren Till's bare-knuckle boxing record stands at 1-0, courtesy of his knockout victory against British reality TV star and ex-Bellator MMA fighter Aaron Chalmers.

The fight transpired at BKFC 90 in May and saw Till survive a knockdown to rally for the KO win. As for MMA, he hasn't competed in the sport since getting submitted by Dricus du Plessis in their back-and-forth middleweight clash in the UFC back in December of 2022. 

On the other hand, Yoel Romero is 1-1 in bare-knuckle boxing. He boasts the honor of being an Olympic silver medalist in the 85 kg category in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Olympics.

He's also a multi-time UFC middleweight title challenger and even challenged for the Bellator MMA light heavyweight belt. The veteran fighter ended a two-year MMA hiatus by stopping ex-UFC fighter Alex Nicholson via TKO in a bare-knuckle MMA bout in Jorge Masvidal's Gamebred MMA organization in May. 

Elsewhere, Romero's bare-knuckle boxing debut saw him TKO Theo Doukaus at BKFC 80 last year. He followed it up with a controversial unanimous decision defeat against Russia's Vagab Vagabov at IBA Bare Knuckle 4 this March; a fight many felt Romero deserved to win on the judges' scorecards. 

Watch Darren Till discuss his plans for his future in the fight game below (*comments at the 2:35 and 31:28-minute marks of the video):