Darren Till , aUFC fighter with a main event bout this weekend said that suspected Irish gang lordDaniel Kinahan told him to "smash" the head of his opponent, Robert Whittaker.- During a UFC media event on
Fight Island , Abu Dhabi, Till described Kinahan as a friend, but said that he has no business dealings with him. - "I don't deal with him in the MMA. My coach … my coach deals with everything. He's [Kinahan] my friend, and that's it. But with regards to business, it's nothing to do with me," Till said.
- Kinahan helped negotiate the financial side of an upcoming two-fight series between his one-time client Tyson Fury, and the Matchroom Boxing heavyweight Anthony Joshua.
- Backlash to Kinahan's involvement in the sport allegedly drove the adviser out of the fight game.
FIGHT ISLAND — UFC fighter Darren Till said the reputed $1 billion gang lord Daniel Kinahan is his friend, and that Kinahan told him to "smash" his next opponent Robert Whittaker's "head in."
Asked by Insider at a media event if Kinahan had given him any friendly advice regarding the Whittaker fight, Till said: "Yeah … he actually just said, 'Smash his head in.'"
Kinahan has no convictions but he is notorious in his native Ireland and has been widely condemned by the nation's politicians.
Insider reported this week, based on the testimony of sources in the industry, that as one of boxing's biggest powerbrokers, Kinahan used bullying and strong-arm tactics to reach the top of the sport, relying on the sources belief that he is a feared boss of a reputed drugs and weapons cartel.
Till has long had a relationship with Kinahan, saying on Twitter in March that he has never hidden his friendship with him.
"Why should I when the man has given me more valuable advice as a friend than anyone I've ever met in a professional capacity," the UFC middleweight said.
There is no suggestion that Till is involved in, or aware of, any criminal activity.
Here is a photo of Till (left) with Kinahan (right):
Kinahan had clear involvement in an apparent future two-fight series between the prominent heavyweight rivals Tyson Fury, who Kinahan advised, and Anthony Joshua, of Matchroom Sport.
Backlash to Kinahan's presence in boxing saw his associates release statements claiming that the Dubai-based Dubliner was stepping away from the sport.
It is unclear if he has also stepped back from the world of MMA.
When Insider met Till at a media event on "Fight Island," ahead of the fighter's upcoming middleweight clash against Whittaker, we asked him whether Kinahan was stepping away from mixed martial arts, too.
"I wouldn't know," Till said. "I don't deal with him in the MMA. My coach … my coach deals with everything. He's [Kinahan] my friend, and that's it. But with regards to business, it's nothing to do with me."
Politicians had previously told Insider that Kinahan was attempting to use fight
"Kinahan has engaged in a very deliberate PR attempt to reinvent himself as a legitimate boxing promoter with no criminal convictions," Neale Richmond, a Dublin-based politician, told us.
"This is no ordinary businessman," Stephen Farry, a British member of parliament, said.
Till fights Whittaker in the main event of the "UFC on ESPN: Whittaker vs. Till" show, which takes place in the early hours of Sunday morning local time at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
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