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Darren Till has garnered success in his post-UFC run, but there is one thing that he can't shake even years later.

Till's UFC tenure came to an end after he requested his release to explore other opportunities. He ended his UFC stint on a three-fight skid, but he has turned his luck around. “The Gorilla†has boxing wins over Luke Rockhold, Darren Stewart, and Anthony Taylor. He also nabbed his latest bare-knuckle win over Yoel Romero on the BKFC 94 card this past Saturday.

While Till has carved out his place in combat sports outside of the UFC banner, he does have one regret. Chatting with reporters during the BKFC 94 post-fight presser, Till said that never capturing UFC gold still eats at him (via Bloody Elbow).

“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.â€

As far as what could be next for Till, he's eyeing a grudge match against fellow ex-UFC star Mike Perry. At the moment, Perry is in the process of recovering from a dislocation in a recent MMA bout against Brandon Jenkins. There's no word on when Perry will be medically cleared to return to action.

What do you make of Darren Till reflecting on never winning UFC gold? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Justin Gaethje insists he isn't bothered by Ilia Topuria's cheating claim.

Gaethje stopped Topuria to become the undisputed UFC lightweight titleholder back in June. Topuria was battered to the point where he failed to get off his stool for the final round of the UFC Freedom 250 main event on the White House lawn.

Recently, Topuria accused Gaethje of loading his gloves prior to the fight. Appearing on “One Night with Steiny,†Gaethje said he thinks Topuria's comments boils down to how engagement works these days (via MMAFighting).

“Not really,†Gaethje said. “He's part of your era. You guys say weird shit for fun, dude. … I think the internet's crazy, man. It's clickbait, engagement, we're farming out here. We're farming for interactions. That's what we're doing. More interactions, more eyeballs, more opportunity. … That's the game. I don't like the game but I'm going to have to play the game. I'm going to try and be me when I do it.â€

Gaethje also downplayed the notion that Topuria chose to quit on his stool at the conclusion of their aforementioned title fight.

“He didn't quit on the stool,†Gaethje said. “His body was too compromised to continue fighting. He didn't make the call, his coaches made the call because they're there to protect him. My coaches are in my corner to protect me in those times.â€

While Topuria is hoping for a rematch, Arman Tsarukyan is the general consensus No. 1 contender. Tsarukyan is fresh off a first-round knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy on the UFC 331 card on Sept. 19. Gaethje believes that Tsarukyan has clearly solidified himself as the rightful contender. Whether or not Gaethje vs. Tsarukyan is indeed the plan for 2027 remains to be seen.

Do you think Ilia Topuria's loaded gloves claim was made to garner attention, or is it sour grapes? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

BKFC

Darren Till remains optimistic that he can not only get a fight with Mike Perry, but the two can even sell out a stadium.

Till competed in the BKFC 94 main event this past Saturday. He took on fellow ex-UFC star Yoel Romero in a bout that went the distance. “The Gorilla†survived Romero's blitz to earn a unanimous decision. The win improved Till's bare-knuckle boxing record to 2-0.

Now that the Romero fight is behind him, Till is looking to move on to a grudge match that has long alluded him. Speaking to reporters during the BKFC 94 post-fight press conference, Till said he thinks a clash with Perry can still be quite lucrative in 2027 (via MMAFighting).

“It's eight years now in the making me and Mike Perry and people are going to have other opinions … I personally think me and Perry sell a stadium out,†Till said. “I think the history, the back and forth for eight years, what could come of that? I sold that arena out tonight. I f*cking respect Yoel more than anything on this Earth. He's a f*cking phenom but that was my arena tonight. If me and Mike Perry [fight], we'll sell a stadium out.

“If Mike wants to come back here and he wants to be he ‘A' side and get more money or whatever, my managers hate me now for saying this, but I don't give a f*ck. But I want that fight. I want that fight to start next year if David [Feldman] can make that happen and I know he can.â€

Perry is recovering from a dislocation he suffered in an upset loss against late replacement opponent Brandon Jenkins back in August. BKFC president David Feldman is hopeful that he can book Perry vs. Till in the near future.

Do you still have interest in seeing Mike Perry vs. Darren Till, or has that ship sailed? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM