Dillon Danis says UFC brass need to see him shake off the rust earlier than handing him a contract. Blended martial arts followers have watched Dillon Danis hop between promotions since 2019, amassing a 2–0 MMA report with Bellator earlier than switching to boxing.
Dillon Danis explains Why The UFC hasn’t Signed Him
Regardless of public entreaties and a high-profile removing from Conor McGregor’s nook in 2018, Danis nonetheless lacks a UFC contract. In a brand new interview with Ringside with Abbas, he defined precisely why Dana White is conserving him on ice.
Danis factors out that Dana White “simply needed to see me energetic as a result of it’s been six years. So, he is aware of I’ll run by means of all these guys within the high 15. And so he’s like, ‘In case you are available and also you’re 2 and 0, may look dangerous for the corporate.’ In order that they have been like, ‘Simply get a pair wins so then while you are available and smash Kevin Holland and smash all these bums, simply, , just remember to’re not two and 0, ’trigger it’s going to make our firm look dangerous.’”
Danis earned his stripes in Bellator with two fast submission victories in 2019, however then stepped away from MMA. White himself admitted to not having given Danis’s potential UFC debut a lot thought, stating plainly, “I don’t know. I haven’t even considered that” when requested if he’d signal the grappler-turned-boxer.
Past the two–0 paradox, Dana White has flagged Danis’s popularity for friction. White famous that at any time when Danis exhibits up, “sh*t’s happening,” referring to previous scuffles at UFC 229 and on press-tour levels, and warned that the athletic fee “goes loopy” over unscripted melees. The UFC chief prefers trash speak to show bodily drama into fines and dangerous press, relatively than a promoting level.
An additional snag: Danis’s ring inactivity. Between knee accidents and a deal with boxing, he’s not often entered an MMA cage since 2019. Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s chief enterprise officer, reportedly echoed White’s issues in non-public talks – Danis must reestablish himself earlier than competing in opposition to top-15 welterweights.
That framework, although, clashes with Danis’s model. He’s positioned himself as a marquee title able to promoting pay-per-views, pointing to his social media following and media buzz from Logan Paul’s boxing card. But Danis admitted he doesn’t need to grind by means of Dana White’s Contender Collection; he’d relatively “retire” than take a developmental route. With out compromise, he stays caught between Bellator’s exit ramp and the Octagon’s open door.
On August 30, he steps again into MMA for the primary time since 2019, going through Warren Spencer at Manchester Area for Misfits Boxing 22. The bout marks the inaugural MF MMA mild heavyweight title combat and launches Misfits Boxing’s new MMA division. Spencer, a 1-0 skilled boxer making his MMA debut, has already admitted he’ll faucet instantly if taken down as a result of “the world must see you strike.”
Danis known as his opponent “a lifeless man strolling” and predicted Spencer will “be within the hospital” with torn-up knees for “two or three years.”
