Darren Till came out on top on Saturday, August 30, when he faced Luke Rockhold in the main event of Misfits Boxing 22. The two former UFC fighters clashed for the inaugural MFB bridgerweight title, live from the AO Arena in Manchester.
The scheduled six-round contest ended halfway through. Till dominated Rockhold, dropping him at the end of the first round with a huge left hand. In the second round, he landed another big shot, and while Rockhold appeared to touch the canvas with his gloves, the referee let the action continue.
In the third round, Till pressed forward with a barrage of punches and once again dropped the former UFC middleweight champion with a big left hand. There was no need for a count, as Rockhold was out cold and unable to get back to his feet. The official time of the stoppage was 1:08 into the round.
With the victory, 32-year-old Liverpool southpaw Till (3-0, 2 KOs) claimed the belt and remained unbeaten, securing his third win in Misfits Boxing this year. 40-year-old Rockhold (0-1) of Santa Cruz, CA fell short in his pro boxing debut.
In the co-feature, former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson (1-0) of Costa Mesa, CA stopped Filipino-born, UK-based Nathaniel Bustamante (4-3, 4 KOs), aka Salt Papi, in the third round with a flurry of strikes. The referee stepped in and called it a day at 2:43 into the round. With the win, Ferguson claimed the interim MFB middleweight title.
Also on the card, Dillon Danis of Parsippany–Troy Hills, NJ, returned to action, defeating Warren Spencer of the UK by submission with a guillotine choke. The first-ever Misfits MMA fight came to an end 15 seconds into the action. In addition to the victory, Danis claimed the inaugural MF MMA light heavyweight title.
In other Misfits Boxing 22 bouts
Among other Misfits Boxing 22 results, Joey Essex defeated Numeiro by majority decision at middleweight. After four rounds, the judges scored it 37-37, 38-36, and 39-37.
Ty Mitchell defeated Sean Hemphill by split decision to win the inaugural MF pro super middleweight title. The judges scored the fight 98-95, 95-96, and 96-94.
Rahim Pardesi made a successful debut, scoring a fourth-round knockout of Amadeusz Ferrari. The official time was 1:05 into the round.
Chase DeMoor defeated Natan Marcon via second-round TKO to retain his MFB heavyweight title. The fight was stopped by the doctor. The official time was 52 seconds into the round. The referee waved the fight off after Marcon was checked by the doctor. Marcon, however, rushed toward DeMoor to continue the fight. The referee tried to step in, and team members and security entered the ring.
Carla Jade defeated Daryn Harris by unanimous decision to retain her MFB lightweight title. The scores were 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45.
Amir Anderson knocked out Vitor Siqueira with a big uppercut in the fifth round at middleweight. The time of the stoppage was 55 seconds into the round.
Demi Sims defeated Nadeshi Hopkins by unanimous decision at cruiserweight. All three judges scored it 40-35.
In the event opener, J’Hon Ingram stopped Banty Singh with a left body shot in the second round at super lightweight. The stoppage time was 1:19 into the round.