Latest news with #DarrenStewart
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Who is former UFC star Darren Stewart, who faces Darren Till this weekend?
The former UFC fighter Darren Till will have the second boxing match of his career on Friday when he faces off against Darren Stewart at Vaillant Live in Derby. While both are veterans of the UFC, Till is the larger and more-popular name. Stewart has 41,300 followers on Instagram compared to Till's 378,000. On Twitter, Till has nearly 460,000 followers, Stewart has a relatively small 7,900. But Stewart comes to the fight with an extensive fight record of his own. The website Sherdog says that the 34-year-old comes in with a record of 16 wins and 10 losses. Nine of his 16 wins have come by KO or TKO, with one submission and six decisions. When it comes to Stewart's losses, he has been stopped twice, submitted twice, and been on the losing side of six decisions. Watch over 150 boxing events a year live on DAZN - subscribe now It was only in August last year, though, that Stewart had announced his retirement from the sport. In an Instagram post, the former prison officer wrote that he thought it was time to 'call it a day'. He wrote: 'I'm forced to because I've lost a lot to this game trying to survive and I can't do it no more. When UFC let me go, I should have invested in something but instead I put all my eggs in one basket AGAIN to get back to the top and life has gotten even worse. I've got family and it's not fair on them stressing just to keep food on the table.' Stewart blamed financial pressures for his decision. He added: 'Maybe I'll get into boxing if it ever arises, but MMA? Yeah, I'm done.' Stewart, at 6'0' and fighting as a light-heavyweight within MMA, last fought at Cage Warriors 169 in March 2024, when he lost in two rounds to Carlos Alexandre Pereira. That came on the back of four consecutive wins across 2022 and 2023. His time in the UFC saw a slew of wins and losses for Stewart. His first fight in that promotion came in 2016 against Francimar Barroso, who ended in a no-contest in the first round. Stewart would lose three more in the UFC over 2017 before notching his first win in 2018 when he stopped Eric Spicely in two rounds. Stewart followed this up with a win against Charles Byrd at UFC 228, before losing in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter to Edmen Shahbazyan. After another two wins in the UFC, Stewart appeared at Cage Warriors 113, before returning to Dana White's organisation for another five fights. There, he racked up one win, three losses, and another no-contest. A move permanently to Cage Warriors saw Stewart begin this run with a loss, after which he went on to the four-fight winning streak that brings him to this weekend. And now, on Friday night, the world gets to see Stewart fight again. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Is KSI fighting in Derby alongside Darren Till?
This weekend will see a boxing match between two former UFC stars and Darren Till and Darren Stewart meet at Vaillant Live in Derby. Despite both coming to the ring with MMA backgrounds, the match will be fought within boxing rules. It will be Till's second boxing match, after a debut in January against Anthony Taylor, and Stewart's debut. The event is being held and promoted by Misfits Boxing under its X Series. The company's CEO, known as KSI, has his own boxing background. The influencer/YouTuber/musician has had two professional bouts, according to BoxRec, one against fellow celebrity Logan Paul in 2019 and a second in 2023 against boxer Tommy Fury. Other places put his record differently, recording a ledger of 5-1-1 (4) against Tommy Fury, Joe Fournier, Thomas Oliveira, Luis Alcarez Pineda, Brandon 'Swarmz' Scott, and Logan Paul – twice. This weekend, however, the man known as 'KSI' will not be fighting. That has not stopped him from appearing on a 'hit list' of fighters that the headlining Darren Till has said he would like to face. Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Till said that he would like to fight Jake Paul, Tommy Fury, Mike Perry, and KSI. Paul and KSI, Till said, are the big-money fights that he is interested in. More recently, KSI was set to face Dillon Danis in a bout to be held at the Manchester Arena on 21 March. That was cancelled after KSI fell ill. No date so far has been set for a rescheduled event, although a Tweet on 4 April from Misfits Boxing strongly suggested that the entire event had been cancelled. A YouTube video two days later from KSI strongly suggested that he was moving towards retirement from boxing, saying that the 'stress' of running multiple companies, including Misfits Boxing, had 'aged' him. Moving forward to this week, and KSI has remained quiet on any plans to face Till, only posting on X re: Till-Stewart: 'Big fight. Expect fireworks.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Who is Darren Till? Background, stats, next fight and more
Darren Till will have his second professional boxing fight on Friday, taking on fellow UFC graduate Darren Stewart in the latest instalment of Misfits Boxing X-series in Leeds. Do not mistake this being his second boxing fight for a lack of combat experience. Till has had over 20 fights as a professional mixed martial arts fighter and a storied career with the UFC. Here is everything you need to know about Till before his fight. Total fights: 24 Record: 18-5-1 (10 KOs) Height: 6' 0' Reach: 75' Age: 32 Boxing record Total fights: 1 Record: 1-0 (1 KO) MMA background Till began his journey in combat sport as Muay Thai at the age of 12 before moving to train at the Team Kaobon MMA gym in Liverpool at 14. As an amateur, the Liverpudlian went 3-0 in England before moving to Brazil and turning professional in 2013. He would have a twelve-fight unbeaten streak in South America before he joined the UFC. In 2017, Till took his first UFC fight on nine days' notice as an injury replacement and faced Wendell de Oliveira at UFC Fight Night 76, winning by knockout. Till swiftly proved himself to be a rising star in the welterweight ranks, going four fights unbeaten and claiming victories over legendary UFC fighters Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson. A title shot was next, against one of the best welterweight champions Dana White's organisation had ever seen - Tyron Woodley. Till fell short on the night, losing to a submission in the second round. This would be the start of a downturn in the career of Till, who had constantly battled with making the 170lbs welterweight limit, losing via knockout to Jorge Masvidal in 2019. Till moved to middleweight where he would find initial success, defeating world title contender Kelvin Gastelum, before losing three losses to Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and Dricus Du Plessis. This marked the end of his partnership with the UFC, with Till requesting to be released from his contract to pursue other interests. Move into boxing After his UFC departure, Till decided to pursue prize fighting and had a scheduled bout with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson undercard. But the fight was cancelled after the main event was rescheduled. The Liverpool fighter had an exhibition fight in 2019 in Dubai before signing with KSI's Misfits Boxing at the start of this year. His first fight under the Misfits banner was going to be against Tommy Fury, but the Love Island star pulled out after Till threatened to use MMA tactics. The former UFC star finally made his professional boxing debut in January, knocking out Anthony Taylor in the sixth round. He now faces Darren Stewart on Friday.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Darren Till takes unanimous decision over fellow former UFC star Darren Stewart
Former UFC fighter Darren Till won a unanimous decision over Darren Stewart on Friday night. Till, who left the UFC in 2023, won by scores of 77-73, 77-74, and 77-74 and was having his second professional boxing match after beating Anthony Taylor by technical knockout in January this year. The event, under the Misfits Boxing banner, took place at the Vaillant Live in Derby, UK. The fight saw Till known down Stewart twice: once in the second minute of the first round and at the closing bell of the final round. A looping left hand that was part cross and part hook sent Stewart to the canvas and he seemed lucky not to have been stopped. Till appeared to be in difficulty in the fifth and sixth rounds, and the fight was close until the seventh when a cut appeared over Till's right eye. It was the second knockdown that seemed controversial, and it came at the end of the fight – in the closing stages of the eighth round – when Stewart appeared to become trapped in the ropes. Despite seeming to come when Stewart had his back turned, the referee began to give a count that lasted until after the bell had sounded. Later, Till posted a series of pictures of himself and Stewart on Instagram, taken after their fight. Till wrote: 'War and peace go hand in hand. It was a please, @darren_mma.' Stewart replied: '----ing loved sharing the ring with you, bro.' Later, Till posted a photograph of him and Stewart holding glasses of beer, to which Stewart responded with, 'Love you, bro.' After the fight, Till also said that he would love to face former world champion Carl Froch. As reported here over the weekend, Till said: '"My coach is here, he knows full well I'll fight Carl Froch.' He added: "I'm a realist Kugan, Carl Froch is one of the best British fighters we've ever produced. He's a f—g animal, he was just behind Calzaghe. But that doesn't mean I won't fight that motherf—g big nose c—t any day of the week.' DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Namibia to take on Proteas in historic T20 match in Windhoek
The match will mark the opening of the new Namibia Cricket Ground in the capital. The Proteas will face Namibia in a first meeting between the teams in Windhoek in October. Picture: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images The Proteas will play a one-off T20 match against neighbours, Namibia, in Windhoek later this year, it was confirmed by Cricket South Africa on Tuesday. The match will take place on October 11 and will be the first encounter between the sides. It will serve as the official opening of the FNB Namibia Cricket Ground (NCG), which will also be a host venue for the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup in 2026 and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2027. CSA Chief Executive Officer, Pholetsi Moseki commented: 'We are honoured to be part of this historic occasion. Namibia are a competitive side, and this fixture reflects the growing strength of cricket on the continent. 'As a fellow African cricketing nation and the host of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, we are proud to support the official opening of this new cricket ground which will be one of the host venues of the tournament.' Cricket Namibia Chief Executive Officer, Johan Muller added: 'This truly is a memorable occasion. The new FNB NCG has been a dream for the last four years and has finally materialised. 'A match against our neighbours, and one of the top cricketing countries in the world, is the perfect way to open this world class facility.'
