Darren Till says a lucrative offer from BKFC convinced him to sign with the promotion after previously expressing reservations about competing in bare-knuckle boxing.

The former UFC title challenger recently agreed to a multi-fight deal with BKFC, despite spending years dismissing the possibility of facing Mike Perry in the sport. Till had previously cited concerns about the physical damage associated with bare-knuckle competition, particularly cuts and facial injuries.

“What changed is my bank account got a few zeroes in it,” said Till, according to MMA Fighting. “The opportunity was too good to pass. David [Feldman] had been on me for a while. He spoke to my manager back and forth, he sat down with the team and said ‘Darren, look, the time is now, the offer’s really good and Darren it sort of fits your style, suits your style the way you fight.’”

Till added that he has fully embraced the challenge of bare-knuckle fighting as he prepares for his debut. “My only fear is getting hit, cuts, stuff like that,” said Till. “It’s a f*ck you attitude. F*ck you, let’s have it and what’s going to happen [is going to happen]. That’s how I’m approaching this.”

While Till has not completely ruled out a return to mixed martial arts, he suggested his future is increasingly focused on other combat sports. “Probably 85 percent [MMA] is behind me to be honest with you,” said Till. He added that a return remains possible because “you never know what life’s going to throw at you.”

For now, Till’s attention is on BKFC, where he hopes a long-discussed fight with Mike Perry eventually materialises. The promotion had previously explored matching the pair before plans changed when Perry pursued other opportunities.

“I’ll stay around the bare-knuckle until it happens,” said Till. “Hopefully by the end of this year, that fight gets made and we meet in the center and finally the beef gets squashed.”