The grudge fight between Darren Till and Luke Rockhold is heating up in more ways than one. The two former UFC middleweights are trading shots long before the first punch is thrown in their 193-pound boxing matchup at Misfits Boxing 22 on August 30 in Manchester. Among the insults and PED accusations, Till drew attention with a daring self-comparison that included a UFC great, and it didn’t sit well with his former opponent, Dricus Du Plessis.

While trash-talking with Rockhold, Till, who is never afraid to show off his confidence, compared himself to Daniel Cormier. “DC was a big, fat jack of potatoes—but he could still fight like f—-. I’m a white DC,” he declared. The massive claim caught fire on social media, where current UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis decided to intervene.

Having beaten Darren Till at UFC 282, du Plessis couldn’t let the comparison slide. Under a post reporting on the comparison, he commented, “DC was a double champion; you didn’t come close to what he did.” When a fan defended Till by saying, “Yet he almost finished you,” du Plessis responded quickly: “Almost…but then?”

It was a brief response, but it bore the weight of that submission victory, a comeback that propelled du Plessis into title contention and humbled Till in the process. Their UFC fight was not as lopsided as some recall. Till caused ‘Stillknocks’ trouble in the second round, landing clean shots against an obviously tired opponent.

But when it came time to finish the show, Dricus du Plessis took the fight to the ground and choked Till out in the third round. The memory of that tap remains, which is most likely why du Plessis was so quick to dismiss Till’s Cormier analogy. Unlike ‘DC’, Darren Till has never held a UFC title, and his last win was back in 2019.

As Till focuses on boxing, Dricus du Plessis’ comments may not be the last he hears from previous opponents. But, if nothing else, his statements have done what Misfits Boxing does best: stir the pot and set the stage for some fireworks. Whether the new ‘DC’ can box like the original or become another Rockhold highlight, we’ll find out soon enough. As for DDP, he is firing shots left, right, and center.

Dricus Du Plessis takes a jibe at Sharaputdin Magomedov

After taking shots at Darren Till, Dricus Du Plessis turned his attention to Sharaputdin Magomedov, despite the fact that the Russian was not ranked. Magomedov’s hard-fought victory over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC Abu Dhabi won him a $50,000 bonus and a broken nose, but it didn’t stop the middleweight champion from insulting him publicly.

“Cyclops/leprechaun,” Du Plessis wrote on X, mocking both Magomedov’s lost eye from a sparring accident and his curly red hair. It was classic ‘Stillknocks’: cutting, unapologetic, and completely unprovoked. ‘Shara Bullet’ may not be a top contender yet, but the insult shows Dricus is paying attention to anyone gathering momentum.

To some, it’s classic ‘Stillknocks’. Others see it as a lesson that becoming a champion entails keeping an eye on everyone rising through the ranks, including those who fly under the radar. Whether Magomedov responds or not, Dricus Du Plessis has made one thing clear: if you have your sights set on the middleweight title, even if you’ve only got one, you may expect to hear from him.