Anthony Taylor details punching ‘bully’ Dillon Danis; ‘You want to fight YouTubers and boxers, fight me’

Anthony Taylor

MMA Fighter and professional boxer Anthony Taylor got to do something many have long desired to do. He punched Dillon Danis in the face.

Danis, a Bellator MMA fighter who has not stepped into the cage for more than three years, has stayed relevant in the world of combat sports by talking a big game on Twitter and causing a raucous everywhere he goes. Just days removed from an altercation with Nate Diaz outside of Madison Square Garden, Danis was back at it during the Misfits Boxing x DAZN Series 003 weigh-ins ceremony last Friday.

Danis made an appearance inside the building, confronting YouTuber and pro boxer KSI. The two got into a scuffle when Danis made contact with KSI. Removed from the building, Danis immediately got into a confrontation with Anthony Taylor. Things did not go Danis’ way. In the video clip below, Anthony Taylor can be seen landing a solid right on Danis that knocked back ‘El Jefe’ several feet. From there, the parties were separated and Danis retreated with his entourage.

READ MORE:  Jake Paul Left Breathless by Jutta Leerdam at Rendezvous in Abu Dhabi

Anthony Taylor is Tired of Seeing Dillon Danis Target YouTubers

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Anthony Taylor discussed the incident at length and what led to the viral moment.

Dillon Danis, just coming in, he was just being a bully,” Taylor said. “He’s picking on reporters, over acting tough with his MMA buddies, or whoever the hell he’s with. But he was just acting tough, acting he like he can’t even be touched because, ‘I’m this jiu-jitsu world champion, nobody’s going to fight me.’

“So he comes in to do his thing with KSI, flips his hat, or smacks him in the face, throws coffee and just runs off. Like, man, don’t come to a YouTube event trying to be a bully to other fighters, especially YouTubers who have no legitimate background in fighting. They’re learning how to fight. It’s called a YouTube event, don’t come over trying to be a bully. You don’t see Jon Jones trying to bully YouTubers.

“I took that in my hands to say something. Nobody, for years, has said or done anything to Dillon, and he’s gotten away with it for so many years doing it to Logan Paul, Jake Paul, to Khabib, to all of these [people], and he got away with it. Don’t come to an event, try and be a bully, push reporters, because now I’m going to call you out. You want to fight YouTubers and boxers, fight me. I’m an MMA fighter, too. What’s up? That’s how it escalated.”

Dillon Danis will step into the squared circle for the first time on January 13th when he faces KSI as part of the Misfits Boxing x DAZN Series 004 event. It will be his first fight in more than three years. Currently signed with Bellator MMA, Danis made two appearances for the promotion scoring back-to-back first-round submissions over Kyle Walker and Max Humphrey. The latter of the two came in June 2019.

READ MORE:  Claressa Shields to Defend Unified Titles Against Danielle Perkins for WBA Heavyweight Championship

“I gave him a little push with my left hand, he tried to snap back at me with a quick jab, I threw my little left jab, he tried to hit me, and that’s when I popped him with an overhand right and he stumbled — 50 yards back, baby. Pow,” Taylor continued. “Without that truck being there, he would’ve fell.”

Anthony Taylor is a former mixed martial artist with a 7-5 record. Under the Bellator MMA banner, “Pretty Boy” went 2-3 before making his transition to boxing. Since then, Anthony Taylor has gone 3-3 inside the squared circle including both professional and exhibition bouts. Most recently, he competed against Jack Fincham on the Mayweather vs. Deiji undercard. The bout ended in a draw.

READ MORE:  Champion Johnny Eblen Calls Out Jake Paul for MMA Fight Under Modified Rules