What’s the story?
Following his UFC 196 submission loss to Nate Diaz, his first loss under the UFC banner, lightweight champion Conor McGregor knew he had to make some upgrades to his jiu jitsu game, so he brought in highly decorated BJJ competitor Dillon Danis to help out. Danis is a highly skilled BJJ practitioner, who has won plenty of tournaments in his career, but is now looking to make the jump to mixed martial arts (MMA) in the near future. One man he has his eye on, and someone he believes he can submit, is none other than No. 1-ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In case you didn’t know...
Nurmagomedov is the most dominant lightweight in the sport of MMA today, holding a jaw-dropping record of 24-0 which he’s accumulated over the years with his dominant wrestling ability and submission skills.
The heart of the matter
Here’s what Danis had to say about possibly fighting Nurmagomedov and thinking he can submit him (courtesy of Bloody Elbow):
“His hands aren’t that good, he’s a grappler,” Danis explained. “So it would probably be a grappling match and I feel like I can submit him. His Jiu Jitsu’s good, but it’s not very technical. He’s a little sloppy. So I feel like I would be able to finish him. But that could happen. But I’m not stupid either. I’m not gonna go to the UFC and probably fight Khabib in my first fight. But you know, down the road that would be a good match up I feel. He’s not going to be undefeated anymore once if he fights Conor, so I’ll be fine to give him another loss.
“That would be a good one. It’d be the first time you’d see Khabib on his back.”
What’s next?
Danis has been saying he will be making his MMA debut very soon, but a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov right off the bat is a far stretch. If Danis is able to impress in his MMA debut in a smaller promotion, the UFC may sign the young BJJ star and slowly bring him along.
Sportskeeda’s Take:
Danis is an extremely talented Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, who’s ground skills would be a danger to anyone he finds himself on the mat with. His stand up game, however, is a huge question mark. Considering, although, that he has one of the best strikers in the sport in Conor McGregor in his corner, Danis may surprise a few people with his ability to box with the best of them.
