Darren Till has announced that he will be changing disciplines as he makes the switch from MMA to boxing after being released from the UFC roster.
Till, 30, last fought in the UFC franchise in December 2022, with the the one-time UFC welterweight title challenger losing via submission to Dricus du Plessis. This was part of five defeats in his past six fights having been undefeated in his professional MMA career until his Championship defeat to Tyron Woodley in 2018.
The change in fortunes appears to have precipitated the move into boxing, which was announced over the weekend, with a statement from Till in addition to a video on social media. The statement read: "I'm grateful for the opportunities and experiences I've had in the UFC, but it's time for a new challenge. Boxing has always been a passion of mine, and I'm confident that with the support of my team, I'll achieve great things in this sport."
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He then released a video promising a huge first fight, saying: “I just wanted to do this video as a little announcement just to confirm the rumours. Yes, they are true. I will be boxing. There’s been a lot of rumours on who I’m going to be boxing. That will be announced in the next few weeks. I’ll have a really big announcement on that.
‘I’ve never turned down a real challenge in my life. I’ve been in the UFC for many years. I’ve fought the best. I’ve beat the best. I’ve been defeated by the best. And that’s it. No f—ks given going into this boxing with the same mentality. Fight at any weight. Anyone. Anywhere. Doesn’t really matter.
“I’m ready to come into this with a f—king massive bang and I can’t wait. Striking is my bread and butter so I’m supremely confident with whoever I’m going to be fighting. In the next few weeks I’ll have a massive announcement and I’m really looking forward to the future.”
Having fought Woodley at the top level of UFC, he will now follow the man who lost to Jake Paul twice in 2021 into boxing. The move marks a shift into boxing which has also been made by other stars such as Conor McGregor, Anderson Silva and Woodley, it also allows for more lucrative bouts and the ability to have more freedom in negotiation deals individually outside of the UFC umbrella.
Till has himself expressed an interest in the more lucrative aspects of the sport, saying that he would 'run over' Logan Paul in the ring during an interview with Neue Online Casinos last week, he said: “If that fight comes about I’ve got my team speaking for me and he’s got his team speaking for him. The guy is a boxer or whatever and I do just feel that I would run over him. I’m going to come into boxing and be running over these guys.”
"Saudi Arabia is where the money is now for boxing. If they offered me $5m to fight Logan in the desert, you’d be a fool to turn that down,” he added, confirming his confidence to seal knockout wins. “One hundred percent. As I told you, if I'm gonna be boxing I’ll be running over these guys, Tommy included.”
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