Dillon Danis was on the back of more misery after an update from Bellator. The American MMA fighter is now a free agent after being released by Bellator. The news is another setback for Danis, who suffered a humiliating defeat to Logan Paul on the PRIME Card.
Reports from MMA Fighting and Ariel Helwani confirm that the American MMA promotion has released Danis from his contract. The multi-time grappling champion last appeared in the promotion back in 2019. He had two wins under his belt in the promotion, which were the only two MMA fights of his career.
Dillon Danis is a free agent.
Bellator officially released Danis this weekend, sources say.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 22, 2023
Although Danis was undefeated in Bellator with two victories via submission, his opponents in those fights lacked quality, with a combined record of 5-8 between them. After 2019, Danis was held back with injuries that pushed back his return to Bellator. He was expected to return to MMA, most probably in Bellator, after a humiliating defeat to Logan Paul.
He can join Conor’s camp cause sure as hell Dana does not want him…
— Treybana (@Treybana) October 22, 2023
Dillon Danis has expressed his desire to compete in the UFC in the buildup to his fight against Logan Paul. Many have speculated that Danis’ close relationship with Conor McGregor can land him a UFC contract in the near future; however, it would be hard to sell Danis to the UFC considering his four-year absence from MMA.
Dillon Danis sends a message to Dana White
Danis is already looking ahead to the UFC as he sends a message to Dana White. The American grappler took it to X to tweet a one-line message to the UFC President. Danis posted: “We about to make a lot of money @danawhite,” followed by a handshake and a money bag emoji.
The tweet shows a clear intention from Danis to move to the UFC in the future, after his stint in Bellator and influencer boxing. He has already issued a rematch challenge to Logan Paul for an MMA fight. With Bellator out of the way, UFC remains a clear favorite to sign Danis and bring Logan to UFC for a fight.
We about to make a lot of money @danawhite 🤝💰
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) October 22, 2023
Current UFC fighter, Sean O’Malley, has advocated in favor of Danis. He commented on his podcast recently: “I was telling Tim, I’m like ‘it’s kind of a win-win for UFC, for Dana.’ Sign him for a one-fight. Give him your toughest guy. If he goes out there and wins, you have a star. If he goes out there and gets absolutely turded on, it’s viral, it’s going everywhere. Give him Rakhmon. Give him just a killer“.
Sean O’Malley put forward the name of Shavkat Rakhmonov as a potential opponent for Danis; however, it is highly unlikely that Danis would accept a fighter with such a skill set and an undefeated record as his first fight in the UFC.
The current stock of Dillon Danis is at an all-time high after the fight with Logan Paul. This represents the best chance for Dana White to sign the controversial fighter and gamble on him for one or two fights to bring in new eyeballs to the UFC.