Even the most ardent UFC fan would have been stretched to give too many details about Dillon Danis before this morning’s brawl with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The American has only had one professional fight but has found himself in the middle of the franchise’s latest controversy.
Russian Nurmagomedov completed his fourth round submission victory over Conor McGregor before storming across the Octagon, leaped over the fencing and jumped at Danis.
Nurmagomedov had just retained the UFC Lightweight title but appeared furious with Danis to spark a mass scuffle inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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Inside the cage, McGregor was attacked by three members of Nurmagomedov’s team – with the Russians managing to land a series of punches on the recently defeated Irishman.
But who is the man who appeared to start fracas? We find out…
Who is Dillon Danis?
Danis is a 25-year-old MMA fighter born in New Jersey but now lives across the Hudson River in New York.
He is exactly six foot and weighs 175 pounds – fighting out of the Middleweight class.
Danis has only managed a single appearance on a pro card, at Bellator 198 back in April – when he beat Kyle Walker in 98 seconds thanks to a toe hold submission.
Despite his lack of UFC experience, he has an extensive background in the martial art of Jiu-Jitsu.
He is known as El Jefe – which translates as "The Boss".
Danis claimed after his solitary professional victory that he was paid $100,000 for the fight – which he insisted was the highest on offer at the event.
He has spoken in the past about his desperation to fight in the UFC, although his wish might have been dashed after the events at UFC 229.
What do we know about Danis’ brawl with Khabib?
We know that Nurmagomedov was furious with Danis and decided to jump out of the Octagon in Las Vegas to attack him.
Why the Dagestanian was so angry with him in particular, rather than the whole of the McGregor camp, is unknown – although it is suspected he was shouting abuse at him through the fight.
Commentator Joe Rogan said he heard Danis say: "Dillon (Danis) was absolutely insulting Khabib, saying something to him and provoking him and then Khabib just jumped over the cage and attacked him.
"I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought Khabib was just going to jump to the top of the cage and say ‘F you’."
The pair were separated relatively quickly by security and police, with Danis dragged out of the arena by the latter, although wasn’t arrested.
What was his reaction to Khabib?
While most normal people would have flinched as soon as they saw a massive Russian UFC fighter flying at them, Danis seemed to relish the battle.
Danis was knocked back by the original impact before springing straight back up in engage with Nurmagomedov.
He even managed to land a series of blows before the pair were seperated.
What is Danis’ relationship to McGregor?
Danis has been part of the McGregor crew since 2016, when he was brought in to help Notorious out for his rematch with Nate Diaz .
His main aim was to improve the Irishman’s Jiu-Jitsu skills – which appeared to have worked.
Danis told McGregor during his brutal battle with Diaz at UFC 202: "Conor don’t worry, you have better Jiu-Jitsu. You have better everything. Believe in yourself. Believe!"
Afterwards, McGregor took him under his wing and has been a close training partner since.
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