Danis’s proposition for his UFC debut is not just a simple fight; he envisions a grand spectacle. He suggests that both he and Pimblett could serve as coaches on the reality TV series “The Ultimate Fighter,” culminating in a fight between them at the show’s conclusion.

“My UFC debut against Paddy Pimblett would be quite the show, the buildup alone would be electric!” Danis tweeted, highlighting his desire to rejuvenate the entertainment aspect of fighting​​.

However, Pimblett’s reaction to Danis’s previous challenges paints a less optimistic picture for this potential matchup. When Danis proposed a grappling match with a significant monetary stake, Pimblett responded dismissively, questioning Danis’s financial capabilities and expressing disinterest in a grappling contest. Pimblett’s retort was characteristically blunt and colorful, indicating a lack of interest in engaging with Danis’s challenges​​​​.

Currently, Pimblett’s focus is on his upcoming fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. This bout is a significant step for Pimblett in his UFC career, and it’s clear that any potential matchup with Danis would be a consideration for the future, if at all​​.

Despite the intriguing nature of Danis’s proposal and his desire to enter the UFC, the likelihood of this fight materializing remains uncertain. Danis’s career has been stalled due to injuries and inactivity in MMA, and it’s unclear whether the UFC would entertain his entry, especially for a high-profile fight against a rising star like Pimblett. The dynamics between the two fighters, their current career trajectories, and the UFC’s plans will all be crucial factors in determining whether this potential bout ever moves beyond the realm of social media speculation.

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“The Lion Killer” made his MMA debut with ONE Championship in March 2018, defeating Richard Corminal in the second round via ground and pound. Prior to the event, many fans imagined that Toon would merely look for a fast takedown to secure an easy submission win. However, what proceeded to take place was incredibly different to how many had predicted.

Tonon met Corminal in the middle of the cage and showcased his striking ability against the 4-3 fighter from the Philippines. Rather than relying on takedowns to bring his far superior grappling into play, Tonon showed that his striking is to be considered, as well, and that his potential in mixed martial arts is far greater than fans had ever imagined. Tonon remains undefeated after five fights with ONE Championship and has managed to stop all of his opponents so far.

Other grappling stars that have risen in popularity in recent years include Ryan Hall, Kron Gracie, Mackenzie Dern, Gilbert Burns, and now, most recently, Dillon Danis.

Danis’ debut at Bellator 198 resulted in a rare toe hold submission victory in the first round. He’ll compete for the second time in his professional career this weekend at Bellator 222.

The rise of grapplers in MMA

Speaking to John Hyon Ko on Kumite TV, Tonon expressed that despite past grudges, he’s rooting for Danis, Gracie, and others who are making the transition from jiu-jitsu to MMA.

“Overall, yes,” Tonon responded when asked whether he is cheering for Gracie, Danis, and other grapplers.

“Overall, I don’t wish that any of them do poorly, even the ones that I’ve had past grudges with, you could say, in the grappling world, because we do come from similar backgrounds.

“I’m very passionate about grappling and I did it for over ten years and for anyone to be able to succeed with some level of grappling always makes me excited. Whether it’s somebody in a mixed martial arts environment, or if I see a news report of someone defending against a bully because of that, or defending against someone who is trying to rob somebody, or whatever, it’s always just a cool thing because it’s something I’ve dedicated my life to, and it makes it seem more valuable when someone is able to use it effectively.”

The road ahead for Kron Gracie, Dillon Danis, and other grapplers

Kron Gracie and Dillon Danis began their mixed martial arts careers after experiencing tremendous success in the jiu-jitsu scene, much like Tonon. Speaking from his in-cage experience, “The Lion Killer” cautions that grapplers need to immediately consider all of the other skills that are applicable inside the cage.

“What’s going to become incredibly important for those guys, as well as the rest of the jiu-jitsu athletes who are coming up, who are interested in transferring to mixed martial arts, there’s just a lot of skills that they need to develop in addition to their grappling,” Tonon told John Hyon Ko.

“They could go in with a Demian Maia mentality and essentially try to grapple their way to victory, which is fine, but even Demian Maia has adapted himself to the mixed martial arts world. It’s not like he just goes in there and uses an IBJJF jiu-jitsu game when he is fighting these guys. He has a sense of what to do in that ring.”

“For instance, Demian does a really good job of putting people against the fence and pulling them down from there. And that skill in itself is just a huge piece of the puzzle that very few grapplers would have developed because they’re not fighting against a cage or a wall or anything like that, whether they’re jiu-jitsu guys or wrestlers, it doesn’t make any difference. It’s something that needs to be well-researched by their coaches or by themselves and practiced meticulously because it’s such a different piece to the puzzle.”

“But that’s kind of my worry, are they just going to go in there with the mindset I’m just going to submit everybody, I’m really good at grappling, or are they really going to adapt to that MMA environment.”

Rating the potential of former grapplers

Having paid close attention to the grappling scene for many years, Tonon has now refocused his attention toward mixed martial arts and what it takes to reach the top of the combat sport, whether it’s in ONE Championship in Asia or the UFC or Bellator in North America.

When asked which former grappler (not including himself) has the most potential in MMA, Tonon responded by saying that Kron Gracie has the most potential.

“The main reason I say Kron, and out of the people you mentioned, I would say Kron and Dillon. I think Kron probably has a slight edge, it’s hard to say because I haven’t grappled Kron in a long time. So it’s opinion based because I haven’t really seen. But I believe he just has a better ability to submit people. But I also believe Dillon has the ability to submit people, so I think that they’ll be able to take that a certain distance. They’re going to get in a cage with a lot of guys and find a way to get to that submission, or at least have the potential to do so.”

“There will be roadblocks though, and it depends on how much those guys work on those integral skills. [There’s] things like fence wrestling, clinch wrestling, boxing, shoot boxing and timing those takedowns. How much they work on those skills is going to determine their success in those situations, but I do believe they can go very far with just the skills that they have.”

“You know the same way that an elite boxer at a really high level is going to have certain successes in MMA and other certain struggles, that’s kind of the way I feel about those guys. But those would be my two picks, if I was to say that these guys were going to have a decent career so far based on what I’ve seen.”

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Because you’re reading this article, one of three things is likely true:

1. You hate Dillon Danis and his self-promotion, and you’re eager to read about how bad he is.
2. You love Dillon Danis and his self-promotion, and you’re eager to read about how good he is.
3. You’re genuinely curious as to how good Dillon Danis really is.

Well, let’s find out.

Who is Dillon Danis?

Dillon Danis, 25, is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and professional mixed martial artist competing in Bellator MMA‘s welterweight division.

Danis, who was born in Parsippany Hills, New Jersey, began jiu jitsu at the age of 15 as a means of defending himself. Apparently, Danis had gotten into a street fight in which he was able to pull off a crude version of a choke, and he quickly joined a jiu jitsu gym to build on his natural instincts.

By his own admission, Danis was not a hefty teenager. The lanky 15-year-old was in for a rude awakening, as he joined the jiu jitsu academy of Jamie Cruz, a Renzo Gracie black belt and renowned BJJ instructor.

Danis began to train more and more frequently in jiu jitsu, and he also started wrestling for his high school, Parsippany Hills High School. According to HighSchoolSportsNJ, Danis was able to put together two successful wrestling campaigns, compiling a record of 29-6 with 15 pins from 2010-2012.

As Danis’ affinity for jiu jitsu grew, he began visiting and training at the famed, eponymous Marcelo Garcia Academy in New York City, run by jiu jitsu icon Marcelo Garcia.

Garcia is, without a doubt, one of the best grapplers of all time. The legendary Brazilian won five World Championships and four championships at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club championships (ADCCs), which is widely regarded as the most prestigious competition in jiu jitsu.

At the age of 19, Danis decided to pursue a career in jiu jitsu, moving to New York City to train full-time with Garcia at his academy.

Danis would go on to accomplish dozens of feats in the world of Brazilian jiu jitsu, parlaying his grappling successes into a gig as a training partner of two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, which caused his notoriety and fame to skyrocket. Additionally, Danis would begin an MMA career of his own, going 1-0 in the Bellator cage.

What did Dillon Danis accomplish?

Dillon Danis is a polarizing figure, garnering heaps of controversy for comments he makes about his impact in jiu jitsu and MMA, his wealth, and his abilities.

In reality, Danis is an extremely talented grappler. From 2012 to 2015, Danis racked up dozens of medals from regional to international competitions as he made his way from purple to brown belt.

In 2012, took home the bronze medal at the IBJJF Pan American No-Gi championships. After being promoted to brown belt, in 2013, Danis repeated that feat, this time in the Absolute, or open-weight, division.

Danis’ brown belt campaign was a good one. Danis took home gold in both his weight class and the Absolute at the IBJJF New York Summer Open and impressively did so again at both the IBJJF Pan American and IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Championships.

2014 continued to be a good year for Danis, who, in addition to four Pan American gold medals, became the UAEJJF Abu Dhabi World Pro champion, too.

But for all of Danis’ 2014 brown belt accolades, his most notable performances were at the IBJJF World Championships, where Danis became a World champion not once, nor twice, but three times. Danis won his weight class in the gi and added two no-gi gold medals in his weight class and the Absolute.

Danis began his 2015 as a brown belt, picking up a silver medal at the IBJJF New York Spring Open in the gi and a gold medal in the IBJJF New York Spring Open No-Gi Absolute division. The New Jerseyian was also the IBJJF Boca Raton International Open champion at brown belt.

As a result of his successes, Marcelo Garcia awarded Danis his black belt, signaling the end of Danis’ colored belts career and the beginning of his journey at the top of the sport.

What did Danis do at black belt?

While earning a black belt is often the highest honor a jiu jitsu player can receive, it’s also one of the biggest challenges. By donning his black belt, Danis now faced some of the toughest names jiu jitsu had to offer.

As such, Danis’ record at black belt is checkered. He sports an 18-16 record, according to foremost jiu jitsu database BJJHeroes, but has faced a murderers’ row of opponents.

In his first appearance at ADCC, Danis faced famed Danaher Death Squad member and multi-time Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) champion Garry Tonon. Tonon, now an undefeated contender in ONE Championship, handed Danis the only submission loss of his black belt career, submitting Danis with a brutal inside heel hook.

After the Tonon loss, Danis would go on a seven-match winning streak, which included superfights and an appearance at the IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Championships.

On the winning streak, Danis submitted UFC legend Joe Lauzon with a D’Arce choke at Metamoris 6 and 2013 IBJJF World champion Jackson Sousa with an inside heel hook at Polaris 4 before arriving at the Pan Ams.

At the 2016 Pan American No-Gi Championships, Danis had his breakout performance at black belt. Danis submitted Gottrell King and outpointed Unity Jiu Jitsu founder and Brazilian legend Murilo Santana to win gold his weight class. But Danis wasn’t done there.

He submitted both Todd Mueckenheim and three-time Pan American champion Aaron “Tex” Johnson with arm-in guillotines to close out the Absolute division with friend and teammate Jonathan Satava.

Danis’ 2016 also featured hard-fought matches with some of the most famed and talented names in jiu jitsu. Danis was outpointed by 2017 World champion Nicholas Meregali and three-time World champion Otavio Sousa, and lost on an advantage to six-time World champion Leandro Lo.

Danis also scored some impressive wins, submitting three-time World No-Gi champion Josh Hinger with a triangle, beating 2017 Pan American champion Patrick Gaudio and two-time Brazilian National champion Luan Carvalho by advantage, and beating ACBJJ LW Grand Prix Champion Edwin Najmi on points.2017 was a tougher year for Danis, and also his last to date as an active jiu jitsu competitor, as he has since focused on his MMA career.

Danis competed several times in 2017, virtually all of which came against world-class opposition. At the 2017 ADCC, Danis submitted Japanese grappler and MMA fighter Yukiyasu Ozawa before falling to 2018 World champion Mahamed Aly and consensus top no-gi grappler Gordon Ryan by penalty and referee’s decision, respectively.

Garry Tonon again prevailed when Danis competed against him in a Polaris 5 rematch, taking the pair’s second meeting by decision.

Danis then lost on points to World champions Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa and Luiz Panza at the World Championships. He also lost to UFC veteran Jake Shields at Submission Underground 4 in overtime.

Danis defeated fellow Bellator prospect and noted, prolific jiu jitsu competitor AJ Agazarm twice in 2017, once at the Atlanta Spring Open and once in Submission Underground.

What has Danis done in MMA?

Ahead of Conor McGregor’s UFC 202 rematch with Nate Diaz, who had beaten him at UFC 196 via submission, McGregor enlisted the help of a similarly lanky, talented jiu jitsu competitor to help bolster his grappling acumen. That man was Dillon Danis (1-0).

Danis and McGregor quickly became fast friends, often spending time with one another outside of the gym. Inside the gym, the two trained day-in and day-out in order to get McGregor ready for the slick submission skills of Diaz.

This, coupled with an increasingly brash social media presence, was how Danis became a household name among MMA fans.

In March of 2017, Dillon Danis began his own MMA career, as he signed with Bellator amid much fanfare. Danis immediately began asserting his presence, boasting that he was the highest paid and most famous fighter on the Bellator roster.

Danis debuted in April of 2018 against Kyle Walker (2-5), then a 2-4 journeyman with two losses by submission. As such, Danis closed as a massive, -1250 favorite.

After a relatively bumpy start in which Danis seemed slightly fazed on the feet, his high-caliber jiu jitsu took over, as Danis attacked with a textbook perfect toe-hold, tapping Walker in just minutes.

How controversial is Danis?

Since that 2018 bout, Danis has been out of action, but that was not a self-imposed hiatus.

In October, Danis was a part of Conor McGregor’s corner during the massive UFC 229 fight between McGregor and UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He was also a crucial part of the post-fight brawl that followed.

Stories conflict as to what happened, but Danis is alleged to have said or done something to upset Nurmagomedov after the Russian’s fourth-round submission win, who in turn leaped from the cage to attack Danis.

Danis, with a UFC fighter deadset on attacking him, threw off several strikes in the ensuing chaos.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission handed Danis a seven-month suspension retroactive to the incident and a $7,500 fine, both of which have been honored by Danis.

Now, Danis can compete at the upcoming Bellator 222 card on June 14.

Danis has also attracted controversy, as previously alluded to, for his brash, sometimes outlandish statements. He has repeatedly claimed to be the highest paid and most famous fighter on the Bellator roster, the “Face of Jiu Jitsu”, and the best grappler in MMA, all claims that are hotly disputed by fighters, fans, and pundits alike.

However, this is all likely a means for Danis to promote himself, and it has worked. Danis’ comments have made him a much more popular fighter, and more and more fans have paid attention to his career as a result of his gimmick than would have otherwise.

In this way, Danis is similar to former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington, who uses a social media troll-like gimmick as self-promotion, or UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, who has embraced his so-called “cringe-y” personality.

Perhaps Danis’ most notable controversy in jiu jitsu stems from his suspension from the Marcelo Garcia Academy alongside his friend and teammate Mansher Khera.

Both Danis and Khera were ousted from the academy in April of 2017. In a follow-up video, Marcelo Garcia appeared to reference Danis’ increasingly boastful and brash social media usage, as well as his growing notoriety, adding, “I realize people was focused just on social media, was focussed on other stuff that everyone is aware about — fame, stuff like that. And that really forced me to take a decision… I don’t kick people out. I really don’t want to do that. I told them to take some time off, figure out, one day if they have a better thought, they come here and I’ll be here and we’ll talk.”

What does it all mean?

Dillon Danis is polarizing, controversial, and brash. Dillon Danis is talented, popular, and successful.

When it comes to breaking down how “good” Dillon Danis is, it isn’t a difficult task. He’s an incredibly adept grappler who has competed against the best of the best in jiu jitsu. With his grappling skill, he is easily one of the best jiu jitsu players in Bellator’s welterweight division, if not the Bellator roster.

As an MMA fighter, he is just 1-0. Without his notoriety, Danis would be a hyped jiu jitsu specialist experiencing all the bumps and growing pains of learning to strike and adapt his jiu jitsu to MMA. He’d be a 1-0 prospect with infinitely better jiu jitsu than most 1-0 prospects.

But, as a grappler, it can sometimes be overstated how much Danis accomplished. Despite facing the best of the best, Danis has often come up just shy of beating them. At black belt, Danis’ most notable achievement is double-gold at the Pan American No-Gi Championships, which he won back in 2016.

He is not the “Face of Jiu Jitsu”, or the best grappler in MMA, but that’s not to say he isn’t one of the most popular grapplers or one of the best grapplers to have switched over to MMA. Ultimately, Dillon Danis is a talented grappler looking to become a well-rounded fighter and the best in MMA.

Danis isn’t there yet, but nothing is keeping him from achieving that down the line.

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