Misfits Boxing 22 has announced some intriguing matchups for this late-August offering which features a trifecta of big name former UFC stars. Tony Ferguson will embark on his first competitive combat sports effort following his UFC departure and on the heels of his GFL fight with Dillon Danis not materializing with the Global Fight League cancelling their pair of kickoff cards for the end of May.
August 30th at the AO Arena in Manchester, England will play host to the boxing debut of the former interim UFC lightweight champion. 'El Cucuy' will throw down under Queensberry Rules against the influencer Salt Papi (AKA Nathaniel Bustamante) who has multiple bouts on the Misifts circuit so far.
Ferguson vs. Papi is positioned as a co-main event clash underneath a sweet science throwdown between a former UFC welterweight title challenger and a former middleweight champion in Strikeforce as well as UFC. Darren Till will don the big gloves to test skills with Luke Rockhold in the final fight of Misfits Boxing 22 with championship hardware attached to both of these prizefights. Ferguson versus Papi will be a battle for the MFB interim middleweight title while Till versus Rockhold will be for the MFB bridgerweight championship.
Misfits Boxing 22 and a brief overview of these two title bouts
Misfits Boxing 22 already includes four familiar names, whether in a localized way under the MFB banner or in combat sports in a more overarching way, but what do the respective paths of these four fighters look like heading into this end of Summer offering? Tony Ferguson looks to return to the win column after an eight fight losing streak in the UFC saw him depart the octagon after a final setback to Michael Chiesa during a losing skid where he was finished five times.
Salt Papi has the influencer cache with millions of followers across TikTok and YouTube while boasting a boxing record of 6-2 on the influencer fighting circuit. Darren Till has put together a 3-0 record on the boxing scene since his time with the UFC came to an end with the Englishman's last Queensberry Rules matchup taking place on the previous Misfits Boxing card in May.
Also, Luke Rockhold has had one of the more nomadic journeys in a way as he has truly explored his independent contractor freedoms across multiple martial arts disciplines since his own UFC departure. Rockhold fought Mike Perry in BKFC, finished Joe Schilling in the Karate Combat pit, grappled as part of the inaugural Craig Jones Invitational, and had his own planned GFL fight fall out in what was supposed to be a rematch with Chris Weidman.
