Latest news with #Khamzat
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Darren Till bemoans lack of 'spark' in current UFC product: 'It seems s*** at the moment'
Three years have passed Darren Till last fought in the Octagon, when he lost a hard-fought battle to current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282. Although Till has moved on to professional boxing with the U.K.-based Misfits promotion, the one-time UFC title challenger has still kept an eye on the product he once called home. Speaking on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" ahead of his Friday bout at Misfits Boxing 21, Till shared what he believes has become a star problem within the UFC over the past few years. Advertisement "I get messages every day from people like, 'When are you coming back? We need a superstar,'" Till said. "Now granted, look, I'm from Liverpool, and there's a guy flying the flag for Liverpool right now, Paddy [Pimblett], there's still superstars in the UFC, but it does feel like it's dampened a little bit. Fights aren't getting made. I don't know, it just all seems a little fake and stuff like that as well. "It seems s*** at the moment. It seems like when I was in the welterweight division, it seemed like it was just killers' row. Now the welterweight division just seems s***. I'm sorry to say the welterweight division is on its ass. The lightweight division I feel like is on its ass. The featherweight division, on its ass. The middleweight division, probably the best one for me at the moment. Light heavyweight, on its ass. Heavyweight, on its ass. It's just on its ass. But I do love the UFC. I love Dana [White], what they do. But right now it just seems like it's on its ass a bit. I just want a bit of spark. "I feel like there's a few things missing," Till concluded. Advertisement Till, 32, closed the door on MMA for his own foreseeable future, but remains adamant that his interest could reignite at some point. As of now, the financial boon that boxing brings is too much for him to pass up, and he's enjoying the progress made in his game. Meanwhile, in the UFC, old foe du Plessis is set to make his next defense of the UFC middleweight title against Till's friend and occasional teammate: Feared, undefeated super-contender Khamzat Chimaev. News broke about the middleweight title tilt Tuesday when UFC CEO Dana White announced the pairing as the headliner for UFC 319 in August. Even though their paths have gone in entirely different directions since their 2022 fight, Till still finds himself annoyed by du Plessis. Come fight night for UFC 319, Till expects the world will hear "And new." "Tell Dricus I said 'f*** him,' by the way. I can't stand his guts because he's so s***, he's so good," Till said. Advertisement "With respect, I'm never going to look past Dricus. He trains hard, he's super dedicated, he's super strong. He's got that awkward style that doesn't make any sense. I think Khamzat will beat him inside two rounds. I really do believe that. But look, Khamzat knows it's a tough fight, but Khamzat trains like a beast. I do think Khamzat gets it done in two rounds." Regarding his own career, Till is back in action Friday in Derby, England. Taking on fellow UFC alum Darren Stewart, Till will compete in his second pro boxing match after a January win over Anthony Taylor. The match represents Stewart's boxing debut after the pair's original March fight date was canceled. Advertisement Between Stewart's inexperience and lack of success in his MMA run compared to Till, the Liverpudlian finds himself a heavy favorite for the match. Despite that, Till has learned from past experiences that underestimating an opponent is arguably the worst thing a fighter can do. "I think if you're ever going into mortal combat, you should never, ever, ever underestimate your opponent," Till said. "I did that one time in my life, and it was the first ever time I got knocked out for it. "That was one camp I don't think I took it seriously because Jorge [Masdvidal] had just come out of some celebrity reality show [before UFC London in 2019]. I'm not making excuses, he f***ing knocked me clean out and it was phenomenal, the way he done it. But yeah, I don't think we should ever, as men, underestimate anyone else. So Darren fought in the UFC, he's a tough guy. I've got to be on my A-game to finish him on Saturday in eight rounds. ... He's strong and he's durable. I don't think he's as good of a striker as me. I was one of the best strikers in the UFC at one point. I really was."
The South African
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Dricus du Plessis' next UFC fight CONFIRMED
On Tuesday UFC owner Dana White announced that Dricus du Plessis will defend his belt against Khamzat Chimaev. After much speculation, the fight is happening and is scheduled for August 16 in Chicago, USA. This has been on the cards for some while. Earlier in the year, when asked about the prospect of a UFC bout against Chimaev, du Plessis told reporters, 'I think everyone has been moving backwards trying to evade that takedown, 'I'm not scared of Khamzat's wrestling. I'm not evading. I'm not trying to stay off the ground with Khamzat. That's the mistake everyone makes. I'm going to fight Khamzat wherever the fight goes.' Du Plessis has longed for a fight on home soil, but there's a few obstacles to overcome before White will give the green light. 'The biggest problem that I see is that a UFC ticket in the T-Mobile Arena – I think the cheapest seat in that arena is $300. So that's R6000. The ringside seat, where the fighters walk out, is $45 000. That's R900 000,' Du Plessis explained on the Sias du Plessis Show. 'So let's say we get an arena, we have a 14 000 seater, we definitely have that. But the prices are going to be… we don't have that kind of money,' the UFC champion continued. 'Where are you going to get 14 000 people where the cheapest seat in the back is probably R10 000? That's the biggest problem we have, and that's why they need to make it big.' '[Hosting UFC Africa] is my dream, it's South Africa's dream, but the UFC's dream is making money. They're a business. They want to make it happen; they just need to find out how it's viable.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mike Malott emotional after KO of Charles Radtke in Canada vs. USA battle
Brian Stann shares why Jon Jones should take Tom Aspinall fight Retired UFC fighter, veteran, and former FOX commentator Brian Stann checks in to discuss his move from broadcaster to CEO. He reminisces on fighting on Memorial Day weekend, his start in MMA, potentially running for president, the current state of MMA, Bo Nickal's setback, his Khamzat prediction, Jon Jones, and more. 2:00 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC 315: Jack Della Maddalena media day interview
Brian Stann shares why Jon Jones should take Tom Aspinall fight Retired UFC fighter, veteran, and former FOX commentator Brian Stann checks in to discuss his move from broadcaster to CEO. He reminisces on fighting on Memorial Day weekend, his start in MMA, potentially running for president, the current state of MMA, Bo Nickal's setback, his Khamzat prediction, Jon Jones, and more. 2:00 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
USA Today
14-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC analyst questions if Khamzat Chimaev could swim in deep waters vs. Dricus Du Plessis
Din Thomas thinks Khamzat Chimaev would struggle against UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) retained his middleweight title by defeating Sean Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) a second time in this past Saturday's UFC 312 main event at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Du Plessis wants Chimaev next, and has opened up as a betting underdog in a potential matchup against the undefeated phenom. Although Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) has torn through most competition so far, Thomas points to his two decision wins over Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman as a cause for concern. 'I think Khamzat is a sprinter,' Thomas said on 'The Ariel Helwani Show.' 'If you were to make fights one five-minute round, Khamzat beats anybody in the world, any weight class. But you can't fight championship-level fights for five rounds at the pace where he's at his best. If he fights like that at his best, I think Dricus is so durable and he's so smart that he'll be able to withstand that. Now they're swimming in deep water, and Khamzat can't swim that deep.' Thomas sees Du Plessis weathering Chimaev's early storm, and dragging him to the championship rounds – where Chimaev has never been tested. 'I think that by the third round, Khamzat is like, 'All right, I don't really know. This guy is not going away.' Let's say he does pace himself a little better. Dricus will just pour it on him. So I think that pacing is a big factor. We always talk about this cardio thing, but cardio is really just being able to manage whatever pace you have based on the skill set you have. That's really what it comes down to. 'Like, if you have a very limited skill set and you're forced to be in situations that you're not comfortable in, you're going to have bad cardio. But when you have a very well-rounded skill set, and you can pace yourself better, you're going to have good cardio. That's really what it comes down to.' For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC 312.
