UFC welterweight sensation Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight transition has encountered obstacles. There are doubts regarding his bout with the Brazilian fighter, Paulo Costa, at UFC 294 this month. During the DWCS post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White disclosed that they’ve reached out to potential replacements. Surprisingly, a friend of Conor McGregor has lobbied to be considered as Chimaev’s substitute. This challenge for Khamzat Chimaev follows after Dillon Danis called out of Khabib Nurmagomedov just over a month ago.
‘El Jefe’ is currently gearing up for his upcoming boxing debut against Logan Paul on October 14th in Manchester, England. Danis is so confident in his victory that he’s even willing to step in as a replacement fighter for an MMA bout just a week later at UFC 294.
After claiming to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dillon Danis challenges Khamzat Chimaev
Dillon Danis has been a part of McGregor’s coaching team since 2016. Notably, he was involved in the infamous post-fight altercation with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. As a result, despite never having competed in the promotion, he continues to be a notable figure within the UFC community.
Recently, on Twitter, he asked the UFC head honcho to be considered as the potential candidate to replace Costa. He wrote:
“I’m free next week @danawhite give me Khamzat Chimaev.“
I’m free next week @danawhite give me Khamzat Chimaev.
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) October 11, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev has remained undefeated throughout his professional career and UFC stint with a record of 12-0. He has dominated his opponents with his impressive wrestling skills. Thus, many fighters are not quite eager to step inside the octagon with him.
However, Danis is also quite well renowned for his BJJ prowess. Additionally, in his brief stint in Bellator, he has won both of his fights.
Perhaps that’s why he isn’t afraid to challenge the UAE fighter. Furthermore, he confidently boasted about his chances of defeating ‘The Eagle’ in a fight. However, there’s a deeper motivation behind his statements.
Danis wanted to fight Nurmagomedov in his teens
Few within the MMA community are aware that Danis’ rivalry with ‘The Eagle’ predates his role as a coach for McGregor. In a 2017 interview, ‘El Jefe’ disclosed that his issues with the Dagestani began when he was just 16-17 years old.
In his interview with Submission Radio, Danis stated his interest in a potential fight with Nurmagomedov. He cited The Dagestani’s perceived disrespect for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a motivating factor. He said:
“Me and him had a beef when I was 16/17. He used to come to a place in Jersey where I used to train because his manager was the coach of my gym. He used to wear that stupid shirt that said, ‘If Sambo was easy it would be called jiu-jitsu.’ I said, ‘Ok, let’s do a grappling match then and see how easy jiu-jitsu is.’”
At the time, Danis was seeking a contract with the UFC, so the opportunity to fight ‘The Eagle’ was rather exciting for him. However, as the years passed, their rivalry escalated. Finally, it erupted in a heated confrontation during a post-fight brawl at UFC 229.
Typically composed, Nurmagomedov leaped out of the cage to confront Danis, resulting in a brawl between the two in the crowd before they were eventually separated.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how Danis would stack up against elite UFC fighters, as the outcome of his wrestling background against these UFC stars remains uncertain.
