"He was petrified" - When Dillon Danis accused Jon Jones of being "scared" to face him in a potential fight
For years, Dillon Danis and Jon Jones have been at odds. Nevertheless, a professional combat sports contest between them hasn't materialized yet.
The 30-year-old Danis is 2-0 in MMA and made his professional boxing debut in October 2023. A highly-accomplished BJJ athlete, 'El Jefe' is 0-1 in the sport of boxing. Meanwhile, the 36-year-old Jones boasts an MMA record of 27 wins, 1 loss, and 1 NC. 'Bones' is a former UFC light heavyweight champion and the reigning UFC heavyweight champion.
On the Flagrant 2 podcast in 2021, host Andrew Schulz questioned Danis about whether there's any fighter in MMA he wouldn't want to fight due to a feeling that they're superior in skill or size. 'El Jefe' responded by jibing at Jon Jones' thin legs. The BJJ savant stated:
"To be honest, I had beef with Jon Jones. We tried to set up the fight. And he ran for, like, years. I mean, Jon Jones was running forever ... You see his legs? ... I would snap them."
Moreover, Danis indicated that 'Bones' has blocked arch-rival Daniel Cormier and him on Instagram, as he's afraid. 'El Jefe' said:
"I'm not joking. I swear to God. He has me blocked. He has me blocked on Instagram. He has me and 'DC' [Daniel Cormier] blocked ... He's like, scared."
Danis opined that he wouldn't consider a jiu-jitsu match against Jones, unless the payday's worth it, as it'd be too easy. Schulz proceeded to question again whether Danis was genuinely insinuating that Jones was evading an MMA fight against him. 'El Jefe' replied by saying:
"No, it's not; I mean, like, I could show you my phone right now. He's, like, blocked. Either he was like, 'Yo. I don't wanna talk to you.' He was, like, f**king; like he was petrified. I could pull my phone right now."
Schulz then asked whether Jones was fearful of his fighting or social media trolling prowess. Danis answered by labeling Jones "soft" and implying that the latter couldn't deal with his psychological warfare.
Check out Dillon Danis' comments below (46:12):
Dillon Danis outlined his potential path to victory over Jon Jones
Dillon Danis appeared on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show on ESPN MMA in 2019 and shed light on a method to defeat Jon Jones in an MMA match. Helwani alluded to their weight differential, as Danis' two MMA bouts were contested at a catchweight of 175 pounds.
Regardless, Danis noted that he'd extensively faced 300-pound athletes in jiu-jitsu and even fighting seven of them on the same day. He claimed to be a different kind of martial artist who's trained with anyone, anywhere since he was a kid. Indicating that he'd attack Jones' legs, 'El Jefe' said
"Even if we fought in MMA, I feel like from his stance and how tall he is, I feel like if I did an Imanari Roll, I would take his leg home with me."
Check out Dillon Danis' remarks below (0:28):
Presently, Dillon Danis is coming off a DQ (Disqualification) defeat against Logan Paul in their boxing match that transpired last October. Intriguingly, Jon Jones jabbed at him and thanked Paul. Danis' next move is shrouded in mystery.
On the other hand, Jones last fought in March 2023, besting Ciryl Gane via first-round submission in their MMA bout to win the UFC heavyweight title. 'Bones,' who's been on an injury hiatus, is expected to return this year and defend his heavyweight belt against Stipe Miocic in their long-awaited dream matchup.