Dillon Danis wants to test himself in the UFC to see if he can beat Logan Paul in the boxing ring.
Danis, who recently turned 30, said Monday that he believes now is the time to see if he can compete at the highest level. MMA hour.
“I’m willing to go out there and see if what I’m saying is true,” he said. “If I go to the UFC, give me the toughest fight. Give me Ian Garry, give me Neil Magny. Anyone. Leon Edwards. That would be the easiest fight. Colby. [Covington],Anyone. ”
There are several obstacles to Danis’ goal, the most pressing being a six-round fight with Paul on October 14th. Unsurprisingly, Danis is at least 30 pounds overweight, and he plans to cut to reach the fight limit of 195 pounds.
Despite the size disadvantage, Danis predicted he would stop Paul.
“I think either he quits on the stool or they throw in the towel or I knock him out or it’s a TKO,” he said. “Or I’ll choke him unconscious.”
Another hurdle is that the contract Danis signed with Bellator six years ago is still in effect. Danis claimed that he had to pay the Paramount-owned promotion $100,000 to fight Logan outside of his contract. Bellator officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of the contract.
It’s unclear how the deal will affect Danis’ future, as Bellator’s future remains uncertain amid constant reports of an impending sale to another promoter, possibly tournament-based PFL. He claimed he could be scouted by Misfits Boxing, the boxing promotion led by influencers-turned-fighters KSI and Mams Taylor. KSI will co-headline the October 14th event opposite Tommy Fury.
According to Danis, one possibility is to face Paul’s younger brother and longtime rival Jake Paul.
“[Misfits is] If I beat him, he’s going to sign me,” Danis claimed. “They’re actually making a fuss, who’s after me, Jake?” [Paul] Or KSI. But why am I boxing? I’m a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. That’s so stupid.I want to go tap [UFC lightweight champion [Islam [Makhachev]. I want to go and defeat these guys. ”
Danis has spent considerable time outside the Octagon as a training partner for former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor. McGregor infamously faced off against Makhachev’s training partner and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, after a crushing loss to the then-lightweight champion at UFC 229.
Danis’ return to competition comes four years after his most recent MMA bout, a first-round submission victory at Bellator 222. After two surgeries, he admitted his knee wasn’t 100 percent, but he didn’t need that against Paul.
Danis, who has relentlessly trolled Paul and his fiancée Nina Agdal on social media, is riding high on the boxing match. But he hopes this fight is the start of something bigger in his fighting career: a return to high-level MMA.
“I’m not nervous,” he said. “My only regret is that I think boxing is so stupid. It’s like a free fight. Men can’t really fight. Fight me in a real fight. If you’re talking about your fiancée, it’s not going to be boxing.”
