“Will [He] Even Show Up?” – Ex-UFC Champion Puts Dillon Danis Through the Ringer Over Potential Fight at GFL

“Still waters run deep.” Following the announcement of former UFC star Tony Ferguson joining the newly minted Global Fighting League (GFL), the promotion is making waves once again with another major signing. This time, they’ve brought in the ‘Jack of all trades,’ 31-year-old Dillon Danis, primarily a grappler, and an MMA fighter-turned-boxer. GFL will set Danis’ return to the MMA scene for April 2025, assigning fighters to city-based teams under their unique 50-50 revenue-sharing model, which prioritizes fighters.

The New Jersey’s product arrival at GFL generated headlines for another reason. In an Instagram post announcing his return to MMA, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley left a challenge in the comments: “Awwwww, they signed cupcake @globalfightleague. I haven’t had a free lunch since grade school. Will @dillondanis even show up?” What many didn’t realize is that Woodley had also signed with GFL a month prior, joining a roster full of retired UFC veterans.

In his MMA career, ‘El Jefe’ has only fought twice, both in the Bellator circuit and won his most recent fight in 2019 against Max Humphrey. However, the black belt under Marcelo Garcia gained more attention for his close association with UFC megastar Conor McGregor, helping him in multiple fight camps, especially for the infamous UFC 229 bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov. A fight between Danis and Jake Paul was scheduled, but the MMA world never saw this rivalry fully materialize.

Meanwhile, Tyron Woodley, once a dominant force in the UFC, endured a tough stretch of four consecutive losses, which led to his departure from the UFC in 2021. ‘The Chosen One’ transitioned to boxing, earning millions for two high-profile bouts against Jake Paul, but lost both times. Now, both the Missouri native and Dillon Danis, who were previously on separate paths, may cross paths in the same promotion, potentially igniting a new rivalry in the GFL. But do you know how they first crossed paths? Let’s take a look at how it all began.

Tyron Woodley appreciated Dillon Danis . But why?

In 2021, following Tyron Woodley’s split decision loss to Jake Paul, Dillon Danis made a bold and controversial claim. He suggested that Woodley’s contract for the fight included a clause preventing him from knocking out Paul: “Tyron Woodley, from what I heard, had it in the contract that he was not allowed to knock out Jake Paul… I swear, when he was against the ropes, I swear – yeah, that’s why when he [Jake Paul] was against the ropes, he [Tyron Woodley] didn’t hit him.” This accusation stirred up a lot of attention in the combat sports world.

The Missouri native, however, didn’t let Dillon Danis’ allegations get to him. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Tyron Woodley responded with sarcastic gratitude, questioning the credibility of ‘El Jefe’ as a “valid source” and raising eyebrows in the media. He joked, “How would he have access to my contract? No, but there’s a clause [in the rematch] that says if I knock him out, they give me some extra cheese on my macaroni. And you know what, I wanna thank Dillon, actually, because he made that dumbass remark.”

Who do you think should be

Dillon Danis’ next opponent? With Tyron Woodley already in the mix, and UFC former lightweight champion Tony Ferguson now fighting in the welterweight division, a matchup with either of them could create some serious excitement. Share your thoughts and suggestions below!