Darren Till will meet Yoel Romero in a 180-pound bare-knuckle bout when BKFC 94 lands at Manchester’s AO Arena on September 26. The card will also feature champion David Mundell defending the BKFC middleweight title against Jack Cullen.
The fight puts Liverpool’s Till against Romero, the former UFC title challenger and Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medallist. It comes after an extended back-and-forth between the pair, with Till writing: “I’ve finally got over my years of trauma & nightmares of Yoel Romero. So, let’s f* do this!!”
Romero responded: “He’s been running his mouth for too long, on September 26 I’m going to close it permanently in Manchester.”
Darren Till vs. Yoel Romero
Till entered BKFC in May at BKFC 90 in Birmingham, stopping Aaron Chalmers 22 seconds into the second round. Chalmers had dropped Till earlier in the contest, but Till turned the fight with a counter left hand at the Utilita Arena.
Before BKFC, Till competed in the UFC and subsequently took part in professional boxing. His first bare-knuckle outing gave the promotion a recognisable UK name, and a return in Manchester provides a home-region stage against one of the most experienced fighters he has faced.
Romero made his BKFC debut in September 2025, defeating Theo Doukas by second-round TKO at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Romero scored three knockdowns before the referee stopped the heavyweight fight at 1:56 of round two.
The Cuban-born fighter compiled a 16-7 MMA record, with 13 wins by knockout or TKO, during spells in the UFC and Bellator. He challenged for UFC middleweight titles, then defeated Thiago Santos by unanimous decision at the PFL vs. Bellator event in February 2024 in his most recent MMA bout.
Mundell will defend his 175-pound BKFC championship against Cullen in the co-main event. The Florida fighter brings a 10-2 bare-knuckle record into the booking, while Cullen arrives as a former British Commonwealth boxing champion.
BKFC founder and president David Feldman described Till vs. Romero as the promotion’s largest UK event involving two international combat-sports names. The promotion is expected to announce the remaining undercard at a later date.
