Michael Bisping expressed sadness watching his former rival Luke Rockhold suffer a brutal knockout loss to Darren Till at Misfits Boxing Series 22 on August 30, 2025, at AO Arena in Manchester, England. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping praised Till’s deadly left hand while noting Rockhold’s struggle in boxing despite his athletic skills. The third-round knockout marked a tough night for Rockhold, who was left unconscious against the ropes. The fight capped a card featuring former UFC fighters and influencers, drawing global attention.
DARREN TILL KNOCKS OUT ROCKHOLD IN THE THIRD ROUND TO RETAIN HIS MISFITS TITLE! 🤯 #Misfits22 pic.twitter.com/59sNy1Dudg
— Combat Media (@CombatMedias) August 30, 2025
Bisping’s Reaction to the Knockout
Bisping, who faced Rockhold twice in the UFC, was somber about the outcome.
“Darren Till, tremendous fighter, he knocks out Luke Rockhold in stunning fashion,” he said on his YouTube channel. “Luke Rockhold just got knocked out very, very badly. I don’t say that with a smile on my face. I’m not happy about this. I do not revel in glee at Luke Rockhold getting knocked out. I like Luke Rockhold, I wish him nothing but the best. It was actually really sad to see.”
He predicted the fight would end in three rounds, and Till delivered at 1:08 of round three.
Why Rockhold Struggled
Bisping highlighted Till’s striking advantage.
“I predicted that this fight would end in three rounds,” he said. “Darren’s left hand is absolutely deadly. It’s fast, it’s powerful, it’s accurate. On the flip side, you have Luke Rockhold, who’s a tremendously skilled athlete. He could’ve been a surfer, a skateboarder. He was a mixed martial arts champion in the UFC and in Strikeforce, but he can’t tuck his chin.”
Bisping noted Rockhold’s strengths in jiu-jitsu and kicks were useless in boxing.
“He’s got tremendous hand-eye coordination. He really does. He’s very coordinated with his body. He can surf, he can skateboard, he’s got excellent jiu-jitsu, he’s got some of the best kicks. However, in boxing, you can’t use any of that coordination, and he still can’t tuck his goddamn chin, and it was there all day for Darren Till.”
Till, a former UFC welterweight title challenger, dominated Rockhold in their eight-round bridgerweight title fight. He scored a knockdown in round one and kept the pressure on. Rockhold, making his pro boxing debut, started strong but faded, unable to defend against Till’s left hand. In round three, Till landed a crushing combination, folding Rockhold against the ropes.
Till, 32, left the UFC in 2022 after a 18-5-1 MMA record. He moved to 4-0 in exhibition boxing, retaining the Misfits bridgerweight title.
Rockhold, 40, has a 16-6 MMA record, with a UFC middleweight title win over Chris Weidman at UFC 194 in 2015. He lost the title to Bisping at UFC 199 in 2016 via knockout, after submitting Bisping in 2014 at UFC Fight Night 55. His UFC run ended in 2022 after losses to Jan Blachowicz, Yoel Romero, and Paulo Costa.
Outside the UFC, Rockhold lost to Mike Perry by TKO in BKFC in 2023 but knocked out Joe Schilling in Karate Combat in April 2024. His boxing debut against Till marked another knockout loss.
Misfits Boxing Series 22 featured Tony Ferguson’s TKO win over Salt Papi for the interim middleweight title and Dillon Danis’s 15-second submission of Warren Spencer for the MMA light heavyweight title. Other results included Joey Essex’s decision win over João Barbosa and Ty Mitchell’s split decision over Sean Hemphill.
