'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAICAgAHAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwUABAYREhQhMTLRAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADEQACAQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBDERISNRof/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AwvRXNZR8D788S7WruWEvQmxASzRRxfagl15iQMQwyeNbaBYnubE+fZWP9xjHDuVycmJdoivTAUDhpnYdjU+mf//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The upcoming boxing bout between KSI and Dillon Danis has been canceled.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani tweeted that the Bellator middleweight has pulled out of the fight and will no longer be competing against the YouTuber. The bout was scheduled to take place on January 14 at Wembley Arena in London.
Helwani tweeted that Danis' withdrawal didn't surprise him as he predicted it on The MMA Hour late last year. He mentioned that he knew the fight wouldn't happen, writing:
"Dillon Danis has withdrawn from next week's fight against KSI, per @MisfitsBoxing. Color me shocked. Told you from the start this fight was never going to happen."
KSI's manager, Mams Taylor, spoke with DAZN about the revelation. He revealed that he received a call that 'El Jefe' was pulling out of the fight due to being "underprepared," mentioning that this is not a good look for the Bellator fighter's reputation:
"For someone who cares cares about his reputation as much as he does or what people think of him, I didn't think this would be something. Despite many people saying, 'Look, he's not gonna show up to the fight.' They were right."
Following news of the bout being canceled, it was announced that KSI will now be fighting FaZe Temper instead.
Will Dillon Danis return to Bellator?
Dillon Danis won't be competing against KSI on January 14, but it will be interesting to see whether he returns to MMA with Bellator down the line.
'El Jefe' has an unbeaten 2-0 MMA record and is still under contract with Bellator. The promotion's president Scott Coker even revealed that the middleweight has been offered fights, but turned them down in favor of what was believed to be a lucrative offer to fight KSI in a boxing bout.
During the Bellator 285 post-fight press conference, Coker was asked whether there's still interest in having the grappling specialist compete in the promotion. He noted that negotiations haven't been easy, but mentioned that there's still a spot for him:
"He calls me, he wants to come back, and then sometimes, I don't hear from him for months. If he's really serious about coming back, we'll definitely have a spot for him, and we'll definitely make an opportunity for him."
