Who is Dillon Danis?

This blog attempts to answer the question on the lips of most fans of The Notorious Conor McGregor

All it took was one Instagram post and Dillon Danis, overnight became a top discussed topic in the world of MMA. It seems as though this is a running theme, with Conor McGregors Midas touch bringing the relatively unknown, into the spotlight that is the world's fastest growing sport. Whether it is a suit tailors or a movement coach (Ido Portal), association with McGregor and his social media accounts are certain to raise profile, and it seems the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is not exempt from this.

                                           The photo that thrust Danis into the spotlight

Although Danis could be considered relatively unknown to most UFC fans before this exposure, he is no stranger to his own fame, in the world of BBJ. Danis, a native of New Jersey USA, is a blackbelt in BJJ, which he gained through training in the Marcelo Garcia academy. 

This esteemed BJJ academy has provided Danis with the tools to gain world championship titles, amongst others, listed below:

• World Champion (2014*: brown)
• Abu Dhabi World Pro Champion (2014: brown)
• World No Gi Champion (2014* weight & absolute: brown)
• Pan American Champion (2014* weight & absolute, 2013*: brown)
• Pan American No Gi Champion (2014* weight & absolute, 2013*: brown)
• New York Summer Open Champion (2014* weight & absolute: brown)
• New York Spring Open Champion (2015* absolute: brown)
• Boca Raton International Open Champion (2015: black)
• New York Spring Open 2nd Place (2015: brown)
• Pan American No Gi Championship 3rd Place (2013 absolute: brown, 2012: purple)

The extensive knowledge on BJJ and the mentality of being a world champion is something that The Notorious One noticed long before the two ever met. Both champions have been quoted as saying that they were aware of each other before the famous UFC202 training camp. 

Fast forward to the aftermath of UFC202 and Danis found himself in the limelight again. this time responding to a call out from one Nate Diaz who claimed Danis was now a target for 'betraying USA'. Danis responded to the Stockton fighter on the MMA Hour, welcoming a fight with Diaz and expressing his desire to compete in the UFC. 

So the question is, who should Danis take on first?

As is the UFCs nature, to develop new and promising talent and high profile fighters, first fights will usually be against other new fighters (take Sage Northcutt for example).

Danis competes in the 181 pound Peso Médio weight category in BJJ and it could be assumed that after MMA training and a weight cut, that he could compete in the 170 pound weight class, so let's take a look at the welterweights Danis could match up against first:

Mickey Gall - Off the back of a win over CM Punk and set to fight 'Super' Sage Northcutt, Gall has only recently started competing in MMA with a 3-0 record. This would make a great fight in my opinion with both having a high level jiu jitsu background which could see potential flaws in stand up game shaping the fight.

Danny Roberts - The Brit has a 2-0 record in the UFC and is set to fight on the UFC204 card against Mike Perry. A fight between these two could make sense for a card in Dublin with McGregor headlining, making this an SBG team affair.

Donald Cerrone - The man who messages Dana White with 'I know a guy' each time a welterweight pulls out from a fight, Cowboy is always up for a scrap. Danis' confidence at taking anyone in the UFC roster matched with Cowboy's love for a fight would make this an all out war. 

Nate Diaz - Just for fun. Diaz called out Danis and Danis called out Diaz. It would be a shock move for the UFC to plan this fight, of course, but who doesn't love a grudge match? 

Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments below and don't forget to follow @UFCCasuals on Twitter at https://twitter.com/UFCCasuals for more of these kinds of posts.