Dillon Danis Believes He Would Defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov In A Grappling Match

Bellator MMA welterweight grappler, Dillon ‘El Jefe’ Danis has recently claimed that a potential grappling matchup with current UFC lightweight champion, Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov would be “easy work“.

Recently linked with a potential boxing showdown with outspoken YouTube content creator, Jake Paul, Danis was involved in the infamous UFC 229 post-fight brawl with Khabib in October 2018, after the Dagestan native scaled the Octagon fence in pursuit of the 27-year-old.

The New Jersey native is a renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and began plying his trade at Straight Blast Gym Ireland in 2015, following a fallout with former head coach, the esteemed, Marcelo Garcia, whom he is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under, due to his altering image on social media. 

Undefeated as a professional mixed martial artist since his transition to competition back in April of 2018, the polarizing Danis has twice featured under the Bellator MMA banner, first scoring an opening-round toe-hold submission over Kyle Walker, before submitting May Humphrey at Bellator 222 in July the following year via a first-round armbar victory. 

Speaking during a recent interview, Danis was asked if he would fancy his chances in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu matchup with the 29-0 sambo specialist and claimed everybody knows he would handily defeat Khabib, but stressed that a fight with the lightweight champion belonged to his teammate, Conor McGregor.

“In straight grappling?” Danis said. “Ah, come on. Yeah (it’s easy work), come on. Everybody knows that, though. But it’s not my fight. It’s Conor’s (McGregor) fight.“

Drafted into the former two-weight world champion’s camp ahead of his UFC 202 rematch with fan-favourite grappling ace, Nate Diaz, Danis also featured prominently alongside the Dublin based outfit for McGregor’s lightweight title capturing performance against the decorated Eddie ‘The Underground King’ Alvarez at UFC 205 in November 2016.

Widely speculated as provoking Khabib after his fourth-round submission win over McGregor, the former lept over the Octagon fence before engaging in an altercation with Danis as members of Khabib’s corner stormed the Octagon and began firing punches toward McGregor who retaliated as security and officials regained control of the situation.

In terms of grappling exploits, Danis claimed the IBJJF Pan American No-Gi championship back in 2016, in a year which also seen him crowned the IBJJF New York Spring Open gold medalist. In 2014, Danis won the IBJJF World Championship as a brown belt. 

With an 18-16 record in grappling competition, Danis has picked up victories over the like of longtime UFC lightweight contender, Joe Lauzon, fellow Bellator MMA feature, AJ Agazarm, as well as Gustavo Campos, Victor Silverio, and renowned grappler, Luke Harris to name a few.