Phillips argues Till matchup makes competitive sense at 205

John Phillips said Darren Till should be his next opponent in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, arguing the matchup makes competitive sense because both men are natural 205-pounders. Phillips told Bloody Elbow that Till historically struggled cutting to 185 pounds in MMA and that the fighters’ similar size and strength would produce a more even fight than Till’s lighter opponents. Phillips said if both fighters win their next bouts it “will make sense” to book the fight and called it “an exciting matchup fans need to see.” The two men had shared a BKFC card at BKFC 90. Darren Till moved to BKFC after leaving MMA and signed a three-fight deal in April. He scored a second-round stoppage in Dubai, a result that put him on a Birmingham card. Till had been scheduled to make his bare-knuckle debut at BKFC 90 against Aaron Chalmers. At the BKFC 90 weigh-ins Till weighed 188.8 pounds, his lightest recorded weight since December 2022. Aaron Chalmers weighed 187.8 pounds, one pound lighter than Till. The weigh-ins underscored Till’s history of changing weight classes: he had difficulty making welterweight in the UFC, moved up to middleweight during his UFC career, and after leaving the promotion bulked up to just under 200 pounds for his first professional boxing match. Chalmers has competed at weights as low as 155 pounds in Bellator. The face-off portion of the BKFC 90 weigh-ins was briefly overshadowed by a brawl between Connor Tierney and Rico Franco. Phillips’ remarks positioned a Phillips-versus-Till bout as a plausible near-term booking for BKFC, pending each man’s upcoming results.