Dillon Danis targeted for next fight at Bellator Los Angeles

According to a new report, Bellator star Dillon Danis is likely to take on Ian Butler at the Bellator Los Angeles event in January.

Amy Kaplan of FanSided reported Tuesday that Danis is being targeted for the fight against Butler at Bellator LA, which takes place January 25, 2020, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The main event of the card will see Bellator women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd put her title on the line when she takes on former UFC and Strikeforce champion Cris Cyborg.

Kaplan reported that Bellator is in discussions to have Danis return on the card to face Butler, but cautioned that contracts have not been issued to the combatants just yet. Here’s what Kaplan said on her Twitter.

Multiple sources tell me that a fight between Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) and Ian "Silverback" Butler (@ianbutlermma) is being discussed for the Jan. 25 show in Los Angeles, CA. No contracts are signed, it's "way early" in negotiations, I'm told. #Bellator pic.twitter.com/Ft8247Utab

— Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) November 19, 2019

“Multiple sources tell me that a fight between Dillon Danis ( @dillondanis ) and Ian “Silverback” Butler ( @ianbutlermma ) is being discussed for the Jan. 25 show in Los Angeles, CA. No contracts are signed, it’s “way early” in negotiations, I’m told. #Bellator”

Later on Tuesday, Butler took to his Twitter to confirm that Bellator has offered him the fight against Danis. According to Butler, he’s accepted the fight and now he’s waiting on Danis to do the same.

I already said yes, @dillondanis it’s up to you now. Say yes and be my Huckleberry. https://t.co/1sXvpM25C9

— ian butler (@ianbutlermma) November 19, 2019

“I already said yes, @dillondanis it’s up to you now. Say yes and be my Huckleberry.”

So far, Danis has not responded to any of these tweets surrounding his next fight.

Danis (2-0) has had just two MMA fights in Bellator and has won them both via submission over Kyle Walker and Max Humphrey, two overmatched opponents. When Danis takes on Butler (7-6-1), it’s arguable it’s a step up in competition despite Butler’s near .500 record. Butler is actually riding a three-fight win streak at the moment with a victory over Emilio Williams in the Bellator cage in his last fight. However, Butler is just 1-5 overall in Bellator, and many will likely consider this fight against Danis a mismatch based on that alone.

Should Danis win this fight, perhaps he could take on rival Logan Paul next.

Do you think Ian Butler will be able to upset Dillon Danis?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/19/2019.