Dillon Danis
American mixed martial artist and professional boxer (born 1993) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dillon Danis (born August 22, 1993)[7] is an American former submission grappler, mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is signed to Global Fight League (GFL), where he competes in the Welterweight division. Danis competed in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. He also competed in the Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship.
| Dillon Danis | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Danis in 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 22, 1993 Parsippany–Troy Hills, New Jersey, U.S.[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Other names | El Jefe | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 13 st) | |||||||||||||||||
| Division | Welterweight (2018–present)[2] | |||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm)[3] | |||||||||||||||||
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | |||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | New York City, New York, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
| Team | SBG Ireland[4] | |||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Marcelo Garcia[5] | |||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2013–2017 (Wrestling)
2018-2019, 2025 (MMA) 2023-present (Boxing) | |||||||||||||||||
| Professional boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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He made his MMA debut at Bellator 198 against Kyle Walker and won via a toe hold in the first round. He then faced Max Humphreys at Bellator 222 and won via armbar in the first round. He was involved in a melee at UFC 229 after Khabib Nurmagomedov proceeded to throw his mouthpiece and then scaled the cage and appeared to jump towards him. He was subsequently fined $7,500 and suspended for 7 months following the incident. Throughout his career, Danis has become the subject of many controversies due to his behaviour.
In boxing, he was scheduled to face British YouTuber KSI at MF & DAZN: X Series 004, but withdrew due to lack of preparation and coaching. In his debut professional boxing match, he was defeated by American YouTuber Logan Paul via disqualification.
Background
Born to a Spanish-Honduran mother and Armenian father,[8] raised in Parsippany–Troy Hills, New Jersey,[9] Danis attended Parsippany Hills High School and started wrestling there as a freshman, despite the fact that he "couldn't do one pushup".[10][11] He started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 15 after he was involved in a fight at school. At age 17, Danis started making trips to Marcelo Garcia's academy in New York and at age 19, he eventually moved to New York in order to actively pursue a career in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. After wins at various high-level tournaments he was awarded his black belt at 21 years of age.[5]
Mixed martial arts career
Summarize
Perspective
In 2016, Danis came to light in the mixed martial arts community when he was asked to join the training camp of UFC fighter Conor McGregor as a coach and training partner ahead of his rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202.[12] He would continue to work with Conor, helping him to prepare for the Khabib Nurmagomedov bout. Due to his image in the media prior to the fight with Diaz, Marcelo Garcia disassociated Danis from his school.[5]
Bellator MMA (2018-2019)
In 2018, Danis was scheduled to make his own MMA debut at Bellator 198 against Kyle Walker.[13] He won via a toe hold in the first round of the fight.[14] Danis' next fight was against Max Humphreys in 2019 at Bellator 222 at a catchweight of 175 lbs. Danis won the fight via armbar in the first round.[15] Danis was originally scheduled to fight again in 2020, against Kegan Gennrich at Bellator 238.[16] Previous to the scheduled bout, however, Danis received an injury and was forced to withdraw.[17]
Danis confirmed in 2023 that he had two fights left on his Bellator contract and intended to complete both of them in 2023, along with at least one more fight after.[18]
Retirement (2023)
On October 21, 2023, it was reported by Ariel Helwani that Danis had been released from his Bellator contract.[19] Danis hit the free agency market and aimed to get a deal with the UFC, but stated his intention to not participate in MMA again if he did not get signed.[20][21] A month after his exit from Bellator, Danis subsequently announced his retirement from combat sports on November 15, 2023.[22]
Cancelled bout with Mike Perry (2024)
Months after his original claim of retirement, in May 2024, Danis announced he would be returning to MMA competition.[23] He claimed to have signed his end of a contract to fight former UFC fighter and Bare Knuckle Boxing champion Mike Perry in a mixed martial arts fight.[24] Perry likewise addressed the claim and stated he was open to fighting Danis, in either BKB or MMA.[25] On September 16, Misfits Boxing CEO Mams Taylor revealed that the two fighters were originally supposed to fight on August 10 on the first ever Misfits MMA card in Miami, Florida.[26] The two have since reentered negotiations to reschedule the fight as of April 2025, Perry claiming he was in verbal agreement with Danis ans Taylor's offers. No official contract has yet to be signed.[27]
Global Fight League (2025–present)
Global Fight League announced on January 24, 2025 that Danis had signed a contract to make his return to MMA later that year.[28] His contract is signed on a one fight deal.[29]
Danis was scheduled to face Tony Ferguson on May 25, 2025 in the main event at GFL 2.[30] However, the first two GFL events were postponed indefinitely.[31]
Grappling events
On May 9, 2015, Danis fought UFC veteran Joe Lauzon at Metamoris 6. Danis won via a D'arce choke.[32]
On October 29, 2016, Danis fought at Polaris Pro Grappling 4 against Jackson Sousa. Danis won via an inside heel hook.[33] He also participated in Polaris 5 at a catchweight (-78 kg) where he lost a judges decision to Garry Tonon.[34]
Danis overall holds a grappling record of 18 wins and 16 losses, and is a seven time tournament winner, winning eleven of his fights by submission, with only a single loss coming by submission to himself.[35]
Boxing career
Summarize
Perspective
Original cancelled bout with KSI
On November 18, 2022, Danis made an appearance at the press conference for MF & DAZN: X Series 003 where he confronted British YouTuber KSI. During the broadcast on November 19, it was announced that Danis would face KSI on January 14, 2023, at Wembley Arena in London, England as the headliner to X Series 004.[36] However, Danis withdrew on January 4 with Mams Taylor, promoter and matchmaker for Misfits Boxing, stating the reason being that he is "underprepared, he [Danis] has no coach, he might be struggling with weight."[37] Danis was replaced by Brazilian YouTuber FaZe Temperrr.[38]
Danis vs Paul
On August 8, 2023, it was announced that Danis would face American YouTuber Logan Paul as the second main event for X Series 10 – The Prime Card alongside KSI vs Tommy Fury on October 14 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.[39]
During the bout, Danis was disqualified in the sixth round after attempting a takedown and an illegal choke. Immediately after, a brawl broke out in the ring and security intervened.[40] Danis later announced his intention to appeal the disqualification loss.[41] On October 21, 2023, Danis officially submitted an appeal of the decision. The decision was not changed.
Second cancelled bout with KSI
On February 4, 2025, it was announced that Danis' bout with KSI would be rebooked for March 29 headlining X Series 21 – Unfinished Business at Manchester Arena in Manchester.[42] Originally, KSI was scheduled to face English former footballer Wayne Bridge, but the bout was cancelled after Bridge withdrew on 20 January resulting in Danis signing on as the replacement opponent.[43] On 21 March, it was announced that the fight will be postponed due to KSI suffering from an illness.[44] On 4 April, Misfits Boxing co-president Mams Taylor confirmed on X that X Series 22 – Blinders & Brawls was moved from 12 April to 16 May, and will be their next event, confirming that X Series 21 – Unfinished Business was no longer happening.[45]
Championships and accomplishments
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship[46]
- Purple belt medio: 3rd place (2012)
- Brown belt medio: 2nd place (2013)
- Brown belt medio: 1st place (2014)
- Black belt pesado: 1st place (2016)
- IBJJF New York Spring International Open
- Brown belt medio: 2nd place (2015)
- Brown belt open class: 1st place (2015)
- IBJJF New York Summer International Open
- Brown belt medio: 1st place (2014)
- IBJJF Boca Raton International Open
- Black belt medio: 1st place (2015)
- IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships
- Brown belt medio: 1st place (2014)
Controversies
Summarize
Perspective
UFC 229 Nurmagomedov–McGregor post-fight incident
At UFC 229, Danis—a member of Conor McGregor's corner team—was involved in a melee when Khabib Nurmagomedov, after submitting McGregor, proceeded to throw his mouthpiece at McGregor's corner team and then scaled the cage and appeared to jump towards Danis.[47] Danis responded by throwing punches at Khabib before an all-out brawl ensued.[48] Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan has claimed that Danis was insulting Nurmagomedov in an attempt to provoke him stating, "Dillon (Danis) was absolutely insulting Khabib, saying something to him and provoking him and then Khabib just jumped over the cage and attacked him".[49] Danis was subsequently fined $7,500 and suspended for 7 months following the incident.[50] Danis did not comment publicly until March 11, 2019, where he told Ariel Helwani on the ESPN MMA podcast that Khabib started taunting him in the second or third round and was aggressive throughout the event.[51]
New Jersey arrest
Danis was arrested on September 18, 2021, after getting into an altercation with a bouncer outside a nightclub in New Jersey where Danis was overpowered, restrained, and choked out.[52][53] Danis later claimed that the bouncer and bartenders from the nightclub were at fault for the altercation, and that officers released him after approximately twenty minutes.[54]
ADCC PEDs accusations
In October 2021, Danis accused UFC veteran Jake Shields of offering him PEDs prior to the 2017 ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship.[55]
UFC 268 altercation
Danis was removed from the building at UFC 268 on November 6, 2021, after getting into an altercation with MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz where he was slapped by Abdelaziz.[56]
Endorsement of cryptocurrency scams
In February 2023, Stephen "Coffeezilla" Findeisen, a YouTuber known for exposing cryptocurrency scams,[57] accused Danis of accepting cash to promote cryptocurrency and NFT scams to his social media followers without performing due diligence.[58] Findeisen's team paid Danis $1,000 to promote a fake NFT project on his Twitter account, which actually contained a link to a website listing 20 cryptocurrency and NFT projects that Danis endorsed and Findeisen claims are scams. According to Insider, Danis is yet to issue a response to the allegations.[59]
Nina Agdal case
During the build up to his boxing match with Logan Paul on October 14, 2023, Danis continuously shared images of Paul's fiancée Nina Agdal on social media. Agdal filed a lawsuit and on September 8, Agdal was granted a temporary restraining order.[60] In 2024, Danis' legal representation filed a motion to withdraw.[61]
Personal life
In August 2023, Danis announced the birth of his first child, a son, but did not share his name or the identity of his son's mother.[62]
On September 1, in the buildup to his bout against Logan Paul, Danis shared the first picture of himself holding his infant son.[63] Despite becoming a father, Danis is still known to the public to be single.[62]
Mixed martial arts record
| 2 matches | 2 wins | 0 losses |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2–0 | Max Humphrey | Submission (armbar) | Bellator 222 | June 14, 2019 | 1 | 4:28 | New York City, New York, United States | Catchweight (175 lb) bout. |
| Win | 1–0 | Kyle Walker | Submission (toe hold) | Bellator 198 | April 28, 2018 | 1 | 1:38 | Rosemont, Illinois, United States | Catchweight (175 lb) bout. |
Professional boxing record
| 1 fight | 0 wins | 1 loss |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 0 | 0 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Logan Paul | DQ | 6 (6), 2:55 | Oct 14, 2023 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | MF–Professional bout |
Submission grappling record
| 9 Matches, 5 Wins, 4 Losses 0 Draws | |||||||
| Result | Rec. | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 5–4 |  Gordon Ryan | Referee Decision | ADCC 2017 | September 23, 2017 |  Espoo, Finland | |
| Win | 5–3 |  Yukiyasu Ozawa | N/A | ||||
| Loss | 4–3 |  Mahamed Aly | N/A | ||||
| Loss | 4–2 | Jake Shields | N/A | Submission Underground 4 | May 14, 2017 | Portland, OR, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | AJ Agazarm | N/A | Submission Underground 3 | January 29, 2017 | Portland, OR, United States | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Max Gimenis | N/A | Copa Podio | July 9, 2016 |  Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| Win | 3–0 | Joe Lauzon | Submission (D'Arce Choke) | Metamoris 6 | May 9, 2015 | California, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jonathan Satava | N/A | 2014 IBJJF World Jiu Jitsu No-Gi Championship | October 5, 2014 | Azusa, California, United States | |
Pay-per-view bouts
| No. | Date | Fight | Billing | Network | Buys | Revenue | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 October 2023 | Paul vs Danis | Judgement Day | DAZN | 1,300,000 | £26,000,000 | [64] |
| Total | 1,300,00 | £26,000,000 | |||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Happy Punch Awards | Best Trash Talker | Himself | Won | [65] |
| 2023 | MMA Hour Awards | Best Social Media Of The Year | Himself | Won | |
| 2024 | Misfits Boxing Awards | Feud of the Year | Himself (shared with Logan Paul) | Won | [66] |
See also
References
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