Dillon Danis became a popular name in the MMA fandom thanks to proximity to Conor McGregor at the height of his popularity.
Danis is an accomplished grappler but had left the sport after he was kicked out from one of the best academies in the world due to attitude issues. Danis took it hard, changed teams but never fully recovered.
Dillon Danis is making his boxing debut against YouTuber KSI in January 2023.
The mixed martial artist recently disclosed how he had to pay a fee to the MMA promotion he’s signed to in order to participate in the boxing match.
During The MMA Hour, Danis said the following to Ariel Helwani:
“Showtime and DAZN are rivals so I had to pay a hefty fee. I don’t know if I’m supposed to be talking about how much. I can say how much. I need my publicist. I don’t want to get in trouble with [Bellator CEO Scott] Coker, but it’s a lot of money. What I’m paying Coker to let me fight is more than probably everyone in the UFC.”
Danis continued:
“Not to let me out, I’m still with them. It would be different if it were with Showtime because, with Showtime, [Bellator has] a deal with them… [Coker] wants me to come back to MMA. His star. Obviously, there’s no one in Bellator that’s going to bring that kind of noise. Who brings that much hype?”
Coker was previously diplomatic in saying he wouldn’t prevent Danis from boxing saying:
“Dillon wants to go take this boxing fight, and I said, ‘Goodluck, you’re gonna have your hands full.’ He is still under contract, and we’ve been trying to get him to fight for a long time. But he saw an opportunity with KSI, and so I wished him luck. It’s a good deal for him, I don’t want to hold him back and be that promoter.”