Darren Till made his return to the ring for his second bout of the year, securing a narrow victory over fellow UFC veteran Darren Stewart.
Following his powerful late knockout win against Anthony Taylor in his Misfits Boxing debut, Till`s comeback was highly anticipated. However, a planned appearance as co-main event on the now-cancelled KSI vs. Dillon Danis card in Manchester resulted in a month-long delay.
He was quickly moved to headline the Friday night event in Derby, keeping his matchup with former UFC and Cage Warriors middleweight contender Darren Stewart. The card also included an unusual four-man `elimination tag match`, featuring Love Island personality Curtis Pritchard.
Darren Till vs. Darren Stewart Misfits 21 Result
A crowd of approximately 1,600 people filled the Valiant Live Arena in Derby. Hometown favourite Ty Mitchell received a huge ovation in the co-main event after convincingly defeating Idris Virgo. Till then made a very short walk to the ring.
Early in the fight, Darren Till allowed London-based Stewart to pursue him towards the ropes, effectively landing counter-punches. Within a minute and a half, he put his opponent on the canvas with a significant left hand. `The Dentist`, known more for his grappling, struggled to find his rhythm in the opening round.
Till seemed capable of landing strikes almost at will against an opponent who found it difficult to initiate a clinch. Stewart did manage to get inside at times but was consistently countered effectively by the same left hook on nearly every attempt.
Impessively resilient, `The Dentist` recovered and had a much better third round, getting inside and successfully landing his right hand. However, his success appeared limited to slowing down Till and avoiding more powerful shots.
By the sixth round, Stewart was landing his own punches effectively and accumulating points as the round progressed. Whether this was sufficient to sway the fight in his favour was unclear, but the former Cage Warriors fighter was clearly intent on winning.
As Till began to tire, maintaining his `rope-a-dope` approach became challenging, with Stewart connecting with several scoring punches. Just as it seemed Stewart might have done enough to potentially secure a close decision, Till landed a vicious knockdown right at the final bell, securing his victory.
Darren Till`s Combat Future After Misfits Boxing
After two tune-up fights in Misfits and a brief one-round appearance in Dubai last summer following a few years away, Darren Till is now setting his sights on bigger and more significant bouts. He has publicly expressed interest in fighting individuals like KSI, Jake Paul, and Mike Perry, and maintains an ongoing rivalry with Tommy Fury.
However, he remains a notable figure in the MMA world, having provided a tough challenge for current world champion Dricus Du Plessis in their 2022 encounter. He has mentioned potential interest in competing in the PFL, while a return to the UFC is also anticipated once his boxing pursuits conclude.
Till was scheduled to fight Fury earlier this year, but the undefeated professional boxer and Love Island personality withdrew with three weeks` notice. Fury claimed his withdrawal was due to concerns that the former UFC star might follow through on press conference jokes about kicking him in the head.
