Darren Till refused to rule out a return to the UFC after defeating Yoel Romero at BKFC 94.
On Saturday night 'The Gorilla' overcame Romero over five hard-fought rounds in front of a packed crowd at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Till was largely in control in his second bare-knuckle outing, but had to overcome adversity as Romero opened a significant cut with a right hand at the end of round three.
Following the fight a number of potential options were mooted for Till as he continues his multi-fight deal with BKFC, including potential bouts with Tommy Fury and Mike Perry.
The Liverpudlian also faced off with BKFC Ironweight champion Lorenzo Hunt inside the ring post-fight, with the pair trading barbs at the AO Arena.
Speaking after he moved to 2-0 in bare-knuckle boxing Till detailed his future plans in combat sports and hinted that he has unfinished business in the UFC.
"I’m a very honest guy," Till said.
"I’m gonna have a thorn in me for the rest of my life that I didn’t win a UFC title.
"That was my dream. That was my be-all and end-all in life. Me and my team, Team Kaobon, we tried. We were the first out of Liverpool to do it, and we came up short.
"I’ll never take that thorn out of me unless I go back to the UFC. My manager doesn’t want me to, but one day, who knows? I’m just going through everything now. I’m in bare-knuckle. I’ve done boxing, and I could go back to pro boxing at some point.
"I just wanna leave a nice little legacy behind that I had a right f****** go at fighting, and the kids in the future go, ‘That’s who I wanna be like’. Sometimes I’m not the best of role models. The quote I live by is: ‘Do good. Be good’.
"I wanna help. I want my team, all of us, just to be okay, and have pride when I’ve retired.
"As I said, being honest with you, I’m never gonna take that thorn out of me that I’ve got from not winning a UFC title. It was everything."
After signing with the UFC in 2015 Till went unbeaten in his first six fights and earned a shot at then-reigning welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.
When the pair met at UFC 228 Woodley dominated from the opening bell, dropping Till before submitting him in the second round.
He later moved up to middleweight but struggled to recapture his form before departing the promotion in 2022.
