Dillon Danis has set his sights firmly on the UFC, and he’s not considering any alternatives.
In 2019, Danis burst onto the mixed martial arts scene with consecutive first-round submissions. He showcased his prowess under the Bellator banner.
However, this promising start took an unexpected nosedive and he was pushed into obscurity. He ended up becoming the subject of mockery within the MMA community.
Fast forward four years and Danis has reemerged as a formidable figure in combat sports, thanks to his headline-grabbing showdown with social media sensation Logan Paul. Despite criticisms of his boxing performance, the New Jersey native demonstrated an unparalleled ability to sell a bout, propelling him back into the limelight.
Danis thinks that ought to be sufficient in and of itself to get him a contract with the UFC.
Danis spoke about his possible routes to the Octagon during his live appearance on Friday’s episode of The MMA Hour. He is open to all of them, with the exception of one. Danis expressed his disdain for earning a spot through Dana White’s Contender Series.
He stated, “I’d rather retire, bro. I’m not Sean O’Malley, I’m bigger than him. I have the most followers than any welterweight in all of MMA.”
While dismissing the Contender Series, Danis remains open to another route – TUF, the UFC’s long-running reality series.
However, his “dream scenario” involves a headlining spot at UFC 300 against the winner of Paddy Pimblett and Tony Ferguson which is scheduled for December 16.
Danis stated: “One-hundred percent, let’s do it — but I really don’t care. Any of them. I’m going to tell Dana White that. I don’t care who it is. Just give me anybody, and if they don’t do it, I can just retire and chill.”
“[I’ll fight Paddy, and if he loses] I’ll fight Tony Ferguson. Who wouldn’t want to see that? I think that would be such an easy fight though, I’d kind of feel bad beating a guy that’s on [such a long] losing streak. He’d be on a one-fight winning streak then, but I think Paddy is so bad. He’s terrible. Just go watch him, he almost lost to Jared Gordon [and] Jared Gordon’s terrible. He did lose to Jared Gordon. Jared’s not good.”
With an impressive social media following, Danis stands as a potential marketing juggernaut for the UFC. Expressing his willingness to face anyone including fan-favorite Kevin Holland, Danis could be the strategic move the UFC needs for enhanced exposure.
Asserting his readiness to take on any opponent, Danis boldly stated: “Everybody wants to see me in the UFC. People think that I just did a boxing match, that my jiu-jitsu isn’t on a different level.”
He also expressed a willingness to face formidable names like Islam Makhachev. He said: “I’ll fight Islam [Makhachev] first fight. I’ll fight any of them first fight, I swear. At the end of the day, if I lose, I lose.”
“I could do 155 or 170. [Holland] an easy fight. Give me a warmup. This is too easy. He has no takedown defense and I think I’d submit him in the first round.”