BJJ standout and Conor McGregor teammate Dillon Danis will be making his return to MMA in May. Danis announced today on The MMA Show on ESPN that he will be competing in a 175-pound catchweight fight against Max Humphrey (3-2) at Bellator 221 on May 11th. Danis (1-0) made his MMA debut last year, picking up a first-round submission victory at Bellator 198. He was then suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for brawling with Khabib Nurmagomedov following the latter’s UFC 229 win over McGregor. Danis got seven months for that, and his term is up on May 6th - five days before his scheduled bout. News gets around fast, and frequent Danis basher and former Bellator champ Ben Askren couldn’t resist taking to social media to take a shot at the brash 25-year-old. Of course, he had to include his Notorious buddy in the tweet too: Yo @TheNotoriousMMA have you stopped the weekly payments to your BJJ coach/secret lover @dillondanis he is getting pretty desperate for attention.... — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 11, 2019 Bellator 221 goes down in the Allstate Arena in Chicago, and will be headlined by a superfight between Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler and featherweight champ Patricio Freire.<doc-sep>After a drama-filled year, Dillon Danis is scheduled to get back to the business of fighting. Officials announced Monday that the brash jiu-jitsu standout-turned-MMA fighter will compete in his second pro bout when he meets Max Humphrey at a catchweight of 175 pounds at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on May 11 at Bellator 221. Danis first broke the news himself on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. This will be Danis’s first fight since his debut last April at Bellator 198, where he defeated Kyle Walker by first-round submission via toe hold. Any chance of him competing again in 2018 was erased after he became involved in a post-fight brawl at UFC 229 in October. Danis was at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to corner Conor McGregor against Khabib Nurmagomedov and he found himself being attacked by Nurmagomedov after the UFC lightweight champion submitted McGregor in the fourth round. The incident was the culmination of months of trash talk, bad blood, and physical altercations between the Nurmagomedov and McGregor camps. In the aftermath, several of the fighters who took part in the melee received fines and suspensions. Danis was fined $7,500 and suspended for seven months, a sanction that is set to expire on May 6. Humphrey (3-2) is a 30-year-old hailing from Missouri. He last fought at a KC Fighting Alliance show in July, losing to Anthony Goldfield via 16-second knockout. Prior to that, Humphrey finished three of his first four opponents in the opening round.<doc-sep>As a legitimately world class grappler, Dillon Danis’ transition to MMA would have been something that hardcore fans kept their eye on. But Conor McGregor’s friend and training partner has a skill even more impressive than his BJJ accolades: the ability to get under the skin of people he will never fight. Danis irked Khabib Nurmagomedov so badly that after he submitted McGregor at UFC 229, “The Eagle” flew out of the cage and started a brawl just trying to attack Danis. Now, Danis has managed to annoy another undefeated UFC fighter. On Monday, Danis spoke with Ariel Helwani about his recently announced second MMA fight and took the time to specifically call out Ben Askren, with the claim that he was the easiest fight possible. “I really want to go against Ben Askren,” Danis said. “We should do a cross promotion. I’ll put up a million dollars versus him because it would be the easiest fight ever. I would tap him so easy, Ariel. He’s so un-athletic and he’s so bad on the ground. A grappling match that wouldn’t even be a match. That would be like 20-30 seconds. A fight, I would still beat him in the first round but he wouldn’t want to fight me.” Askren is a former Olympic wrestler with an outstanding amateur wrestling career, winning two national championships and earning NCAA D-1 All-American honors four times, as well as being one of four men to ever win the Dan Hodge trophy twice. He has gone on to have a sensational MMA career, amassing a 19-0 record with one no-contest. Danis, by comparison is almost strictly a competition grappler at this point, having only made his MMA debut last April. This disparity and Danis’ bold claim seemed to have had their desired effect on Askren, who spent three solid hours mocking Danis on Twitter after he heard the comments. The fact that @espnmma and @arielhelwani are giving this guy air time is kind of embarrassing. Couldn’t find anyone better than a 1-0 failed BJJ played to come on the show Ariel? If you are that desperate I will commit to a 20 minute weekly spot to help ratings. https://t.co/wqbAu6NWLu — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 11, 2019 Yo @TheNotoriousMMA have you stopped the weekly payments to your BJJ coach/secret lover @dillondanis he is getting pretty desperate for attention.... — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 11, 2019 Does @dillondanis have this expense ok’Ed by sugar daddy Connor? Bc I guarantee you Dillons broke ass doesn’t have $1,000 in his bank account let alone a million. https://t.co/yh9yD5uNYn — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 11, 2019 Aside from attacking the absurdity of Danis’ $1 million wager, Askren also took the time to make a few videos roasting Danis for his grappling credentials, including the time he ridiculously claimed he was a better version of Khabib. “Hey Dillon, remember when you told Conor you were a better version of Khabib and had him ready for the fight? L-O-L. Boom, roasted.” “Dillon, you didn’t even place at the high school state tournament! You suck. Boom, roasted.” “Yo Dillon, who do you consider more your daddy, Conor McGregor or Gary Tonon? Boom, roasted.” But perhaps the most personal of all the attacks as Askren’s roasting of Danis’ look. Askren, who had a cult of personality around his “funky” afro in college, a style he still keeps today, went for the jugular against Danis, mocking his bleached blond hairstyle. “Yo Dillon, teenagers in 2004 want their hair back. I mean, seriously, who bleaches their hair anymore? You suck. Boom, roasted.” This is not the first time Askren has gone after Danis and it almost assuredly won’t be the last. In the meantime, Danis has a fight with Max Humphrey at Bellator 221 on May 11th to keep himself busy and Askren will be in attendance at UFC London this weekend to pick a fight with Darren Till. MUST-READ STORIES Outlaw. Conor McGregor arrested for allegedly smashing, stealing cell phone outside Miami hotel. Title fight. Valentina Shevchenko defends flyweight title against Jessica Eye at UFC 238. Reason. Junior dos Santos: Jon Jones challenging Daniel Cormier at heavyweight makes more sense than Brock Lesnar. Shade. Alexander Gustafsson on Anthony Smith: ‘If he beats me, then maybe I don’t have it anymore’. Failure. Mickey Gall experienced kidney failure before Diego Sanchez fight at UFC 235. VIDEO STEW The MMA Hour. I love that this video is flagged as possibly being inappropriate. Izzy’s doing a fight camp vlog. Jimmy Smith breaks down JDS vs. Lewis. Free fight. LISTEN UP The Co-Main Event. Recapping JDS’ big win and looking ahead to UFC London. Mookie & Crookie. John Nash joins to talk the business side of DAZN, Bellator, the UFC, and PFL. SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE Statement. Ben also throwing some other shade. I know I have been picking in @darrentill2 a lot, but @GamebredFighter I think you suck too. Best of luck Saturday guys. — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 11, 2019 I actually don’t like @GamebredFighter bc I hammered him at ATT when I was training MMA for 2 months and he wants to pretend it didn’t happen. I don’t like liars. https://t.co/Nl1tSkMfxb — Ben Askren (@Benaskren) March 11, 2019 Joanna getting some training in with Ernesto Hoost. MMA still gonna MMA. Weidman on Yoel’s allegations that Costa was pulled for steroids. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. #usada #costa — Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) March 11, 2019 Pretty sure it goes “a fucking duck” ya nerd — Gian Villante (@GPVillante) March 12, 2019 I don’t curse you dummy head — Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) March 12, 2019 Stipe really likes to post picture of a fight he was knocked out in the first round in. UFC 236 poster. There’s a lot going on here. Gold star. UFC athletes reaching 25x perfect testing record and recognized by USADA in March:@BlessedMMA @OfficialDurkin @RaphaAssuncao @SPonzinibbioMMA @TMarretaMMA 2 of 2 — Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC) March 11, 2019 FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS Joe Macapa (21-4-2) vs. Kevin Croom (19-11); Bellator 218, March 22. Dillon Danis (1-0) vs. Max Humphrey (3-2); Bellator 221, May 11. Valentina Shevchenko (16-3) vs. Jessica Eye (14-6, 1 NC); UFC 238, June 8. Tatiana Suarez (7-0) vs. Nina Ansaroff (10-5); UFC 238, June 8. Katlyn Chookagian (11-2) vs. Joanne Calderwood (13-3); UFC 238, June 8. FINAL THOUGHTS Dillon keeps taking those Ls. Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow. EXIT POLL Poll Who would win in a grappling match? This poll is closed 85% Askren (1768 votes) 14% Danis (294 votes) 2062 votes total Vote Now If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @JedKMeshew on Twitter and let him know about it! Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram, and like us on Facebook!<doc-sep>
Dillon Danis, a decorated grappling specialist and long-time friend and training partner of UFC star Conor McGregor, is set to return at Bellator 221 on May 11 in Chicago, Illinois. Danis’ opponent on the card will be Max Humphrey. This news was announced on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday. This bout will mark the second time Dillon Danis has competed in mixed martial arts. He made his professional debut in April of 2018, submitting Kyle Walker under the Bellator MMA banner. The polarizing grappler, who is known for his virulent trash talk and brash attitude, likely would have returned sooner, but he’s been sidelined due to his role in the post-fight brawl that followed the UFC 229 main event in October. Danis’ Bellator 221 opponent Max Humphrey is 3-2 overall. He last fought in July, when he was knocked out in 16 seconds by Anthony Goldfield under the KC Fighting Alliance banner. He won his next most recent fight, defeating Cody Nieto, and was submitted by Zach Long in the bout that preceded it. Bellator 221 will be headlined by a lightweight title super fight between reigning champion Michael Chandler and featherweight king Patricio Freire. It will be co-headlined by a compelling Welterweight Grand Prix firefight between former champion Douglas Lima and undefeated star Michael “Venom” Page. It will also include appearances from stars like AJ McKee, Pat Curran and Jake Hager. Even before the addition of Dillon Danis, Bellator 221 was easily one of the most stacked cards on the Bellator calendar. The card will air on DAZN. How do you think Danis will look in his sophomore MMA bout? This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/11/2019. This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM