Dillon Danis wants to step into the Octagon, but is unable to convince the UFC to sign him.
The latest claim from the ever-verbal Danis is that top UFC officials, including UFC CEO Dana White and UFC CFO Hunter Campbell, are worried he won’t act if handed a contract. In August of this year, Danis returned to mixed martial arts competition at Misfits Boxing 22, his first mixed martial arts bout in over six years, defeating Warren Spencer in 15 seconds to win Influencer Boxing’s first light heavyweight title.
Danis currently feels more than ready to compete in the UFC if given the chance.
“I (offered to participate in)ultimate fighter) house, it was actually crazy and Hunter said I was going to hit someone in the house and just go out and use it for influence or something,” Danis told Demetrius Johnson. mighty cast. “It was like his hobby. He was like, ‘Tell him to play more games.'” They’re worried I’ll go too crazy. The whole build up of Logan was crazy. I hit him on the mic and all that crap, and I think they think I’m going to take it to the UFC, which is like a whole other game. So this time, I’m a little more calm to show them that I can be respectful and I can do that, but obviously, if someone slams you with a fucking bottle, I’m going to throw a microphone at them in the face.
“I don’t know, I think they’re just scared of me. Dana White even said, ‘He’s always in trouble.’ Every time I go somewhere I get into fights with people, but at the end of the day, they’re UFC fighters and there’s security and I’m alone there and they’re going to attack me and I’m going to fight back. I’m not just going to sit there and endure.”
If there’s any truth to what Danis is saying about the UFC’s concerns, they’re not unfounded. At UFC 229 in Las Vegas in October 2018, Danis was involved in an infamous post-fight brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Shortly after Nurmagomedov successfully defended his lightweight title with a fourth-round submission of Danis’ friend Conor McGregor, Nurmagomedov exited the cage and attacked Danis, who was in McGregor’s corner.
The brawl also involved current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, and resulted in heavy fines and suspensions for McGregor and Nurmagomedov, and lesser penalties for Danis and others. Danis believes this infamous moment forever tarnished his reputation with UFC officials.
“100 percent,” Danis said. “Because now if I go to the UFC, they’re going to be like, ‘You’re not allowed to go here, you’re not allowed to go here.’ That’s why I get in a lot of fights because they don’t want to give me security. They don’t want to do this, they don’t want to do that, I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to corner them. They’re treating me differently because they think I’m going to start a fight or something. I start a lot of crap, but obviously if the UFC tells me to do something, do this, I’m not going to disrespect them.”
Danis, who is currently 3-0 under MMA rules, claims he made seven figures against Spencer, so his motivation to test himself in a UFC bout isn’t financial. Now that he has his own gold medal, he is willing to face Makhachev, assuming he is successful in taking the UFC welterweight title from Jacques Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in New York on November 15th.
“Everyone knows where to find me, everyone knows who I am,” Danis said. “This is the real 170-pound belt. Islam is not the champion, JDM, but Islam will be the champion. And I want a champion vs. champion fight, me vs. Islam. Then we can get our revenge and the story is over. That’s what I want.”