Dillon Danis Claims Ben Askren Would Be ‘Scared’ To Grapple With Him
This past weekend (April 28, 2018), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Dillon Danis made his professional mixed martial arts debut on the main card of Bellator 198 in Rosemont, Illinois, submitting Kyle Walker in the very first round.
Following the victory, the outspoken Danis said that he would be interested in fighting former Bellator and ONE FC welterweight champion Ben Askren next, a bold claim for a fighter coming off of his first professional victory.
Askren, who recently retired with an undefeated 18-0 record, is widely considered to be one of the very best wrestlers to have ever competed in mixed martial arts. If him and Danis were to fight, however, Danis believes it would be an ‘easy’ victory for him:
“I feel like I am the one to beat his undefeated record,” Danis said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “It would, I think, be a ground fight and it would be an easy submission for me. He does not like leg attacks. I know his game very well. I feel like he would be scared to go to the ground with me. So, yeah. I believe it would be an easy fight.”
Unfortunately for Danis, however, Askren didn’t show much interest in fighting him. The former Missouri Tiger, who’s still under contract with ONE FC, has kept the door open for a return though, showing interest in fighting Georges St. Pierre or current Bellator 170-pound champion Rory MacDonald.
Danis, however, felt it was important to note that Askren took the time to respond to his call out:
“He responded, so I wonder why he responded,” Danis said. “I’m pretty sure he’s not responding to just anybody. He knows that once he responds to me, his name is gonna be all over the place. Probably the most media he’s ever gotten.”
Due to his BJJ pedigree, his brash personality and the fact that he trains with Conor McGregor, Danis has always received quite a bit of attention. And now after just one fight, he feels as if he can be Bellator’s ‘golden boy’:
“I feel like they’ve finally got their golden boy,” Danis said. “I 100 percent feel like that and I’m willing to do it. I feel like I can do something here. I feel like I have all the recipe to be different. I’ve been saying that. It’s all the things I’ve said. I really feel like no one has seen the way — my fighting style is so different. … I just feel like I’m different in every aspect and I feel like Bellator recognizes that. They feel like they finally have their golden boy.”
Where do you think Danis goes from here?
