How can we ever forget Khamzat Chimaev and Darren Till’s friendship? While the Liverpudlian is no longer in the UFC, his rapport with the Chechen star is still intact. In fact, as Chimaev prepares for his very first title fight in the UFC (against Dricus du Plessis), he wanted Till to join his camp. That, however, was simply not possible as Till had to pay attention to his upcoming event.

After his UFC exit, Darren Till did not continue his MMA career like others who joined the PFL. Instead, the English star decided to get into boxing, and guess what? He has made a lot of noise in that endeavor. So far, he has won both the boxing matches he featured in. And now, he has another fight coming up: Against former UFC star Luke Rockhold.

In his new interview with ‘Seconds Out’ on YouTube, Till stated: “Khamzat, that’s my friend, and I want him to be champion, but no. Why would I leave my camp to go help someone else in another camp? Makes no sense at all. He asked me to get involved. I said if I didn’t have a fight, I would because I love him dearly. He’s a f—ing great guy. I want him to be champion. I do wholeheartedly want him to be champion. Want him to beat Dricus. Get that loss back for me.”

Till and DDP fight back in December 2022. The Liverpudlian lost via a submission in round three, but what’s worse was the fact that it was his third straight UFC loss. Post that, he was released from the promotion and looked for alternate ways to stay in combat sports. “But no, I have fight coming up so there’s no way I’m going to be a part of someone else’s camp,” Till added.

That being said, Till knows that DDP is a brilliant fighter and will be the toughest fight for Chimaev at UFC 319. And while fans have seen ‘Borz’ finish his opponents quite aggressively, they aren’t sure he will be able to hang in there for five rounds. His best bet might be to finish DDP in one of the initial rounds so that he doesn’t gas out.

Darren Till gave ‘props’ to Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 319 opponent

Dricus du Plessis has shut all of his critics up with dominant performances despite having an unorthodox fighting style. He is not conventionally technical, according to the MMA community, but he has gotten the job done many times before. Darren Till understands that Khamzat Chimaev could have a hard time beating du Plessis. He claimed that there is nothing to “hate” about the South African star, who has been successful in the UFC.

“He’s beat them all,” Darren Till stated this past May during an interview. “You have to give the guy props, he gets the win, he gets the job beat, so who are we to hate? Who are we to judge? Fair play to the guy, that’s what I think, anyway.” Well, he may not hate Dricus du Plessis, but he wants to see ‘Stillknocks’ lose to his friend and brother, Khamzat Chimaev.

However, the stakes are high for both sides: For DDP, his title is on the line. As for Chimaev, his spotless 14-0 record and a chance to become a UFC champion are enticing enough to give his best. There has been a lot of talk between Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus du Plessis ahead of UFC 319, as it is one of the most anticipated matchups in 2025. Darren Till may support his friend, but who is your pick—the South African champion or the Chechen contender? Let us know in the comments section down below.