Darren Till and Luke Rockhold. Yeah, two names you probably thought you’d left in the UFC scrapbook, but here we are… they’re squaring up in a boxing ring of all places. The AO Arena, Manchester, Saturday night, DAZN PPV. Don’t act like you’re not curious, even if you’re rolling your eyes.
Till, just 32, is chasing his third straight win this year after beating Anthony Taylor and Darren Stewart. Rockhold, 40, makes his boxing debut after a short-lived Bare Knuckle Boxing experiment that ended in a bloody TKO loss. He was once UFC’s middleweight champ, but time isn’t on his side.
Till told DAZN: “Luke will just take advantage of himself and make me look like a bull. Obviously, he’s got the tools to beat me. I think when it comes down to psychology with Luke, I think he’s a weak man. I really do. I can see the weakness in him. I definitely think I can knock him out if I catch him.”
Rockhold: “I can tell you I’m working harder than he is. People always underestimate me. I can be a sick motherf–cker when I want to be.
Why Are These Guys Boxing Now?
The answer is simple: money, profile, and a stage where their names still pull interest. Neither man is chasing heavyweight belts or sanctioned rankings. This is spectacle, not sport purity. For fans, it’s about seeing familiar UFC fighters test themselves outside the cage. For Till, it’s about staying relevant. For Rockhold, it feels like a last swing before retirement.
And then there’s the rest of the card. Tony Ferguson, a UFC cult favorite now riding a brutal losing streak in MMA, fights influencer Salt Papi. Joey Essex, reality TV’s export, gloves up. Dillon Danis, professional trouble-maker and McGregor associate, takes another spin in the circus. Even Demi Sims from TV is boxing. Call it what it is: entertainment boxing with just enough chaos to grab headlines.
What Time, Where, and How to Watch
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Date: Saturday, August 30
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Venue: AO Arena, Manchester
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Start time: 7 pm BST (11 am PT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET)
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Ring walks (main event): 11 pm BST (3 pm PT / 5 pm CT / 6 pm ET)
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Live on: DAZN PPV
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Price: £19.99 UK / $49.99 US / €19.99 Europe / $39.99 Australia
Full Fight Card (subject to change)
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Darren Till vs Luke Rockhold (bridgerweight)
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Tony Ferguson vs Salt Papi (middleweight)
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Dillon Danis vs Warren Spencer (light-heavyweight)
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Joey Essex vs Numeiro (middleweight)
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Ty Mitchell vs Sean Hemphill (super-middleweight)
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Chase DeMoor vs Natan Marcon (heavyweight)
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Amadeusz Ferrari vs Rahim Pardesi (light-heavyweight)
My Take: his isn’t boxing at its best, it’s boxing at its loudest. Till still has youth and a puncher’s chance to build something in this space, but Rockhold is showing up with mileage and a chin that’s been cracked more than once. Expect Till to win. The undercard is a circus, but that’s the point: DAZN isn’t selling this as pure sport, it’s selling it as a spectacle. Hardcore fans will roll their eyes, but casuals will buy.