Darren Till won’t fight ‘big dumbo’ Mike Perry in BKFC, says bare-knuckle is ‘when you’re coming to the end’

Darren Till believes he will fight Mike Perry some day, just not next.

For the past year, Till has been oft-rumored to be the next opponent for Perry. But for all the talk about a potential matchup between the two — and the frequent trash talk between them — the fight has yet to be booked. And according to Till, who spoke Monday on The MMA Hour, it’s not in the immediate offing either.

“Perry, he went crazy the other day calling me every name under the sun,” Till said. “That fight’s just got to happen one day.

“I would love to fight Perry. I don’t really want to fight him in bare-knuckle because I feel like bare-knuckle is the type of organization you go when — I don’t want to disrespect anyone, but when you’re coming to the end. It’s sort of like you don’t care about your face getting busted up and shit like that. I feel still young and fresh. I want to save the bare-knuckle.

“I’m not going to stand here and say I’m scared to fight Mike Perry in bare-knuckle, because I’m definitely not, but I don’t think bare-knuckle is the right move for me right now. I think boxing and then hopefully back to the UFC at some point, is the right move for me.”

Till may not think much of BKFC, but Perry is currently in the midst of the best stretch of his career. Since making the move to bare-knuckle in 2022, “Platinum” is 5-0 and has become the face of the promotion. And while Till acknowledges that Perry doesn’t fit his description of a BKFC fighter, he is still a bit dismissive of the people Perry beat to get to this position.

“I’m not saying he is [at the end of his career]. He’s just a big dumbo,” Till said. “He’s just a big dumbo. I don’t know, who has he been fighting? Eddie Alvarez? Thiago Alves? They’ve got the brain capacity of a loaf of bread. He hasn’t been fighting anyone.

“I’ll give ‘MVP’ [Michael ‘Venom’ Page] his due, MVP is a brilliant fighter. Luke [Rockhold], I don’t know what he is, a model or a fighter at this point. He looks good, but he doesn’t really fight good anymore. I’m not impressed.

“Anyone can say what they’re saying, but I know what I’m capable of,” Till continued. “I know I’m fast and ferocious. I’m too big and strong and clever for Perry. He’s just a big dumbo who walks forward. He’s just a fool.”

Unfortunately, for now at least, fans won’t get to see Till and Perry settle up for all their trash talk. Till revealed that he’s signed with a promoter and will be announcing his return to action very soon. And while that promoter is not BKFC, Till did at least acknowledge that the company made him a good offer. Just not good enough.

“Two million? You think I’d turn down two million?” Till said when asked what BKFC offered him. “They offered me good money. But I’ve got many offers. I got offers to fight Logan [Paul], Dillon [Danis]. I got good offers, but I wanted to wait it out and get the right deal for myself. I feel like I have now. I can’t wait to announce it.”

Till last competed in December 2022, losing to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282. He left the UFC with a record of 6-5-1, and was a one-time UFC welterweight title challenger.