Dillon Danis has been prepping for his combat sports return with a UFC champion.
Danis has spent time training with UFC light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira ahead of his 185-pound boxing match vs. KSI, which headlines Misfits Boxing 21 on March 29 in Manchester, England.
Danis hasn’t competed since boxing YouTube and WWE star Logan Paul in October 2023. He lost the bout by disqualification. The 31-year-old described what it was like training with Pereira.
“I like to be in the pocket and throw,” Danis told Bloody Elbow. “That’s how me and Pereira have been sparring if you watch the footage. But these guys (KSI and Paul), they don’t want to engage. Run around the ring and circle, and KSI’s quality is doing star jumps or some sh*t.
“Alex is a beast. He’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever felt in my whole life. So I’m excited to see him f*cking knock out Ankalaev. I hate Dagestanis. Not all of them, but a lot if I’m honest. So Alex has shown me a lot, and he’s just a f*cking animal who I’m happy to train with.”
Pereira also spoke about training with Danis in a recent interview with Bloody Elbow.
“I think it’s a good fight, two big names,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “I trained with him today, and obviously he’s a different weight, he’s a different size than I am, and a different style, but he’s doing very well. He’s training with us, so I’m going to be rooting for him. I couldn’t say any different, but I’ll be watching the fight and hope he’ll win.”
Danis already has his next assignment set. He meets former interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson under the Global Fight League banner May 11 in Los Angeles.
“I don’t even have to train for this scrub, to be honest with you,” Danis said of KSI during Tuesday’s press conference in London. “I could beat him twice on Sunday. He’s easy. I don’t really care. I have a fight right after him with Tony Ferguson, who was actually a UFC champion. (KSI is) a way easier fight.”
