Sean O’Malley thinks the UFC could benefit from adding Dillon Danis to the roster now that he’s a free agent.
“El Jefe” has only competed twice in MMA and hasn’t stepped into the cage since 2019, but last month he was at the forefront of combat sports headlines ahead of his boxing debut against Logan Paul.
The bad blood between the two men made the bout a highly-anticipated affair that unfortunately didn’t quite deliver on fan expectations. Danis was largely inactive throughout the fight, and in the final round a guillotine choke attempt resulted in him being disqualified with only a few seconds remaining.
The 30-year-old was released from his contract with Bellator the week after he fought Paul, and Ariel Helwani recently asked O’Malley if he thinks the UFC should try to sign Danis.
“I wanna see it,” O’Malley responded on The MMA Hour. “Give him one fight, give him whoever you wanna give him. He loses – that guy, whoever beats him, you’ve got a name…I’d like to see him in the UFC. Give him someone on a Pay-Per-View.”
Danis did win both of his bouts with Bellator via first-round submission, but his opponents didn't have particularly extensive records and neither of them have competed since losing to the decorated grappler.
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It’s worth questioning how Danis would fare in the UFC as well as how the promotion might choose to match him up, and O’Malley argues that the one-time boxer's notoriety could provide a chance for the promotion to build another fighter into a potential star.
“Everyone hates him, it’s like the perfect person to sign. ‘Cause even if he goes out there and loses, whoever fights him could potentially be a star. If that person uses the mic wisely, uses the camera time, the fight week, the build-up, the post-fight wisely. A person could be a star just from beating him.”
O’Malley certainly knows a thing or two about the importance of marketing yourself as a member of the UFC roster. “Sugar” has grown into one of the promotion’s biggest stars, and his profile only appears set to grow larger after he took the bantamweight title from Aljamain Sterling in August.
Danis already has the support of his teammate and former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, so despite his inexperience in MMA it doesn't seem to be out of the question that the promotion might at least consider offering him a contract.
If you use any quotes from this article, please leave an H/T to MMAKnockout.com for the transcription.
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