Ex-UFC champion suffers vicious knockout loss to fellow UFC veteran in boxing debut

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 8:12 PM ET

(Misfits Boxing/DAZN)

Luke Rockhold’s boxing debut against fellow UFC veteran Darren Till did not go according to plan for the former UFC middleweight champion.

With no UFC event this weekend in between the promotion’s return to Shanghai and next Saturday’s UFC Paris, many MMA fans turned their attention to a Misfits Boxing card headlined by two ex-UFC stars in Till and Rockhold.

Till had already put together a 3-0 record in exhibition boxing matches prior to the matchup. After entering the night as a massive favorite, “The Gorilla” brutally knocked out Rockhold with a left hand in the third round to win the Misfits Boxing Bridgerweight title.

Darren Till Flatlines Luke Rockhold In Boxing Match

Following a self-imposed exit from the UFC after losing three-straight fights and five of his previous six, Till made the jump to boxing in 2024 and stopped Mohammed Mutie at Social Knockout 3.

The 32-year-old followed that up with wins over MMA veteran Anthony Taylor and former UFC middleweight Darren Stewart during the first half of 2025. At MF & DAZN X Series 22, Till made an immediate statement when he knocked Rockhold down in the opening round of their 205 lbs. contest.

WOW!!!! WHAT A KNOCKDOWN!!

Darren Till DROPS Luke Rockhold in round 1!!!

️Buy #XSeries22 NOW at https://t.co/fmB3r5oC53 | Live Now | @MisfitsBoxing | Link in Bio For More pic.twitter.com/3z1R7Z5xi2
— MF & DAZN X Series (@MF_DAZNXSeries) August 30, 2025

Things didn’t end up improving the former UFC middleweight champion, as Till went on to fold Rockhold just over a minute into the third round and improved his boxing record to 4-0 with the title-winning performance.

MASTERCLASS PREFORMANCE!!

Darren Till is MFB Bridgerweight Champion after KNOCKING OUT Luke Rockhold!!#XSeries22 x @MisfitsBoxing pic.twitter.com/Dyn9kYquNc
— MF & DAZN X Series (@MF_DAZNXSeries) August 30, 2025

Ex-UFC Champion's Future Unclear After Brutal KO

“The Gorilla” defeated two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson to earn a title shot of his own in 2018, and Rockhold is easily the biggest name that Till has beaten since Tyron Woodley handed him his first MMA loss at UFC 228 and kicked off the 1-5 run that closed out his UFC career.

Like Till, Rockhold also left the UFC following a three-fight skid capped off by a “Fight of the Night”-winning scrap with Paulo Costa at UFC 278 that saw Costa get his hand raised via unanimous decision. Rockhold lost his middleweight belt via knockout in a shocking rematch with Michael Bisping at UFC 299 before stopping David Branch the following year, which turned out to be the former champion’s final UFC victory.

Jeffrey Swinger-Imagn Images

The 40-year-old was stopped by Mike Perry in a BKFC main event in 2023 before he picked up a win over Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45 last year, and it’s unclear at this time if Rockhold intends to continue competing in boxing, retire, or move on to some other combat sports venture.