Dillon Danis says he has to pay Bellator “a hefty fee” to be allowed to box KSI

By Cole Shelton - December 22, 2022

Dillon Danis has revealed he has to pay Bellator in order to box KSI.

Dillon Danis, Ben Askren

Danis, of course, is under contract with Bellator – despite not fighting since 2019 due to knee injuries. He will make his return to fighting on January 14 in the main event of Misfits 004 against KSI, with the event being streamed on DAZN.

Although Bellator allowed Danis to take this fight, he says he had to pay Bellator given DAZN is a competitor of Showtime which broadcasts Bellator’s fights.

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about how I had to do that because Showtime and DAZN are rivals, so I had to pay a hefty fee. It’s a lot of money. What I’m paying Coker to let me fight is more than probably every UFC (fighter makes),” Danis said on The MMA Hour. “(Not to let me out, but to fight). I’m still with them. It would be different if I was with Showtime, because Showtime, they have a deal with them.”

According to Dillon Danis, he believes Scott Coker was mad at the fact his comeback fight is in boxing and not in MMA in Bellator. Yet, Danis is planning to have an active 2023 and fight a few times in Bellator.

“He wants me to come back to MMA, his star. Obviously there’s no one in Bellator that’s going to bring that kind of noise… Who brings that much hype? I just think that he’s mad,” Danis said. “The big comeback should’ve been in MMA, which I agree, but why not just beat up a YouTuber for a f****** ton of money?”

Danis is 2-0 as a pro but has not fought since Bellator 222 in June of 2019 when he submitted Max Humphrey. In his pro debut in April 2018, he submitted Kyle Walker in the first round.

What do you make of Dillon Danis having to pay Bellator to allow him to box KSI?