Dillon Danis is returning to MMA for the first time in six years next month as he launches Misfits Boxing’s new experiment.
Since its inception, promotional boss Mams Taylor has been eyeing up having MMA bouts on the same cards as his Misfits Boxing fights. And on their August 30 pay-per-view, they will trial run this idea with former Bellator star Danis against influencer Warren Spencer.
Spencer has boxed multiple times before and run the likes of Ben Williams and Aaron Chalmers close in big fights. But new footage of his training with long-time teammate and pal Andrew Tate shows a worrying deficiency in his ground game.
New footage shows Andrew Tate catch Dillon Danis’ opponent in armbar
The announcement that Dillon Danis is returning to MMA for the first time since 2019 garnered a lot of attention last night when it was confirmed by Misfits Boxing. Attention quickly turned to his lesser-known opponent; white collar boxer Warren Spencer.
Aside from his Misfits Boxing and other celebrity boxing outings, little is known about Spencer’s combat background, aside from the fact that he has trained with Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate for years.
However, in footage shared by Spencer just days before the fight announcement, he can be seen grappling with Andrew Tate in footage that should be worrying to fans. Tate is a very high level kickboxer, who won ISKA and Enfusion world titles during a lengthy career that included a number of MMA fights.
It’s hard to gauge Tate’s exact record given the underground nature of the MMA and kickboxing scenes he was in back in the 2000s. But he is recorded as having won multiple titles in the ring as well as defeating eventual UFC star Luke Barnatt in the cage during their amateur days.
However, his grappling ability is unknown, with online reports placing him at just a blue belt. He has also publicly claimed to be ‘anti-Jiu-Jitsu’, noting that in practical terms for a street fight, it is unlikely to be useful if someone is not fighting fairly.
So watching Tate easily trip and take down Spencer before placing him in an armbar is concerning, given that Danis is a black belt under Marcelo Garcia in BJJ. To his credit, the Brit says in the caption for the video that it was late in a session that took place for hours in 104 degree heat.
“For context ; this is 3 hours of daily hell down to a 1 minute video,” he wrote. “The last round at 1pm from a 10am start. When there’s nothing left in the tank, that’s when it matters. Everyone’s sharp on round 1. It’s who you are in round twelve that really counts.”
Dillon Danis has impressive grappling CV
Assuming that video isn’t Spencer playing possum and sharing footage to make himself look limited, he could be in for big trouble with Dillon Danis. The New Yorker won both of his Bellator fights within minutes using his elite BJJ to land easy wins.
Danis is a multiple-time champion in various BJJ competitions from brown belt to black belt. He was awarded his black belt by Marcelo Garcia in 2014, and has had the chance to train with some on MMA’s biggest names.
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
He is famously a close friend and teammate of Conor McGregor after being drafted in for the Irishman’s camp for his rematch with Nate Diaz in 2016. Since then they have stayed loyal friends, and have sparred countless rounds.
Danis also regularly trains with Alex Pereira and Glover Teixeira at their gym in Connecticut as he prepares for his comeback. As recently as May, he was due to return to the cage against Tony Ferguson on the debut of the GFL, but that show was cancelled.