Former UFC title challenger Darren Till gets set to make his first steps into the world of bare-knuckle boxing when he takes on Aaron Chalmers at BKFC Birmingham on Saturday.
After stepping away from mixed martial arts in 2023 the popular Liverpudlian became an instant star in the influencer boxing sphere, recording an undefeated record across four fights and KO'ing Luke Rockhold for the Misfits Boxing title in August.
Opponents proved hard to come by for Till however, and he departed Misfits earlier this year to sign a multi-fight deal with BKFC - the leading bare-knuckle boxing promotion part owned by Conor McGregor.
In his first assignment inside the squared circle Till is set to face off against former Geordie Shore star Chalmers, who embarked on a seven-fight run in MMA before moving into boxing and bare-knuckle.
Chalmers holds an unbeaten record in BKFC, having stopped former professional boxer Chas Symonds in his debut before beating ex-Love Island star Jack Fincham inside two rounds back in September.
Darren Till vs Aaron Chalmers odds
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Unsurprisingly given his extensive background in combat sports, Till is the overwhelming favourite to get his hand raised when he and Chalmers meet on Saturday night.
Since leaving the UFC Till has yet to taste defeat, and he has been more aggressive in his striking in recent outings without having to prepare for the the threat of the takedown.
Prior to moving away from the gloved format Till was even said to be targeting a showdown with former boxing world champion Carl Froch after years of the pair trading barbs on social media.
Till will also be the larger man on the night, standing two inches taller than Chalmers and possessing the longer reach of the two.
However, despite Chalmers' relative lack of experience the 39-year-old has proven that his skillset is well suited to the world of bare-knuckle boxing.
In his clash with Symonds last April Chalmers was up against a vastly more experienced boxer who had twice won area titles and was expected to have the edge when it came to technicality inside the ring.
Ultimately though Chalmers aggression worked in his favour against the more experienced man and an inch-perfect left hook followed by a right hand secured him the win.
It's important to remember that bare-knuckle is fundamentally a unique sport, even when compared to gloved boxing.
Two-time world champion Paulie Malignaggi found this out the hard way after making the transition with defeats against Artem Lobov and Rolando Dy and Chalmers will be hoping to pull off a similar upset this weekend.
