BKFC boss reveals Darren Till’s next move after Jake Paul talks collapse

BKFC president David Feldman just revealed what’s next for Darren Till after the Jake Paul fight fell apart.

Till was in talks to face Jake Paul in a boxing match.

Those talks collapsed when Paul chose to face PFL welterweight Cedric Doumbe instead.

That left the former UFC title challenger without a December payday.

But Feldman says BKFC has a plan.

“We have options,” Feldman told MMA Fighting.

“I get along very, very well with him. I get along very, very well with his management, but there is a fight or two outside of BKFC that he would like that would be a really, really big payday for him.”

Till originally signed a three-fight deal with BKFC.

He has already fought twice under the bare-knuckle banner and won both times.

Feldman made it clear that the relationship is meant to last longer than that initial contract.

“That’s why we did it as an option,” Feldman said.

“But we do have options on his next few fights. There is going to be a longer relationship with BKFC and Darren Till.”

The key question now is timing.

Feldman explained that BKFC has to decide whether to book Till immediately or let him chase another outside opportunity.

“It comes to do we have something for Darren Till that makes sense?” Feldman said.

“Is the timing going to be right? If we have to lay him off for eight, nine months, it’s only fair to let him go out and make a payday because the momentum’s going to be killed anyway if we don’t have a fight for him.”

But Feldman also said BKFC will not hold Till back if the promotion has a fight ready.

“But if we have a fight that I think we’re going to have in the next two weeks to announce, then obviously he’s fighting for BKFC,” he said.

“If we don’t then there is an option for him to possibly to fight a Jake Paul or something like that.”

Feldman sounded supportive of the Paul matchup in principle.

“I think that Darren Till can hang in there with Jake Paul, has a very good chance of beating him as well so I think it could raise his profile a lot and he has a chance to make a lot of money,” he said.

But he also made it clear that BKFC comes first.

“But at the same time, we’re not going to cut our nose off to spite our face here at BKFC,” Feldman said.

“If we have something that works for him, he’s going to do that first.”

Feldman previously allowed Mike Perry to book his own boxing match with Paul.

That delayed Perry’s return to BKFC.

Feldman said he supports fighters taking big opportunities outside the organization, but each case is handled individually.

Now Feldman is teasing a major announcement.

“We’re going to have some big names for Darren Till in the mix very, very shortly,” Feldman told MMA Fighting.

“One of them will be part of our announcement we’re going to make in the next couple weeks.”

Feldman also hinted at a location that would be personal for Till.

He teased the possibility of going to a soccer stadium in Liverpool for Till’s next BKFC fight.

Till is from Liverpool and has a strong fan base there.

A stadium fight in his hometown would be a major event.

Till has been keeping busy since leaving the UFC.

He transitioned to bare-knuckle fighting and has looked sharp in his two BKFC wins.

The former UFC middleweight title challenger has a reputation for being a dangerous striker.

His fighting style translates well to bare-knuckle rules.

BKFC has been growing rapidly as a promotion.

The organization has signed several former UFC fighters in recent years.

Feldman has positioned BKFC as a legitimate alternative for fighters who want to stay active.

The Jake Paul fight would have been a massive payday for Till.

Paul is one of the biggest draws in combat sports.

He fought Yoel Romero at BKFC 94 in a fight Feldman called a “chess match.”

Paul’s decision to face Doumbe instead of Till was a setback.

But Feldman is not panicking.

He sees a long-term future for Till in BKFC.

The next two weeks will determine whether Till fights inside or outside the organization.

If BKFC announces a fight, Till stays.

If not, Till may look for another big boxing payday.

Either way, Feldman made it clear that Till is a priority.

“We have options,” Feldman repeated.

“There is going to be a longer relationship with BKFC and Darren Till.”