Ex-Bellator athlete Dillon Danis has been accused by Paige VanZant of making false claims about a past relationship between them, leading to a heated exchange on social media and a potential challenge from VanZant’s husband, Austin Vanderford.
Dillon Danis is at it again. He’s picked a fight he can’t win.
This time, the ex-Bellator athlete and grappler is in a tiff with Paige VanZant. She’s an MMA fighter preparing for her boxing debut at a Misfits card in May. When asked about MMA fighters crossing over into boxing, she said, “Dillon Danis is not a fighter.” That didn’t sit well with Danis.
Danis, who hasn’t competed in MMA since 2019, fired back on social media. He claimed VanZant was just upset he didn’t “wife” her. He even threatened to spill the beans about their two trips to Vegas, suggesting it could ruin her marriage.
VanZant, who’s married to Austin Vanderford, a one-time Bellator title challenger, didn’t stay quiet. She took to Instagram to share her side of the story. It was quite different from what Danis claimed.
She said, “Dillon Danis is trying to stir up drama.” She then recounted her only memory of meeting him in Vegas. “You asked me to peg you in a bar in front of other UFC fighters, and I laughed in your face,” she said. “That’s not a relationship, right?”
VanZant didn’t stop there. She addressed Danis’s attempts to damage her marriage with claims of a past relationship. “Stirring up drama on the internet to fight my husband isn’t the best way to handle things,” she said. She then listed three things Danis will never have: a wife, friends, and a real MMA résumé.
She ended her post with, “Dillon, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, but when you’re a piece of shit like you are, it’s pretty f*cking easy. Have a good one.”
Vanderford also had something to say. He challenged Danis to a fight, in MMA or boxing. He predicted Danis’s excuses: “Who is he?”, “He doesn’t have a following”, “He lost his last fight”, “Not the same weight class”.
Vanderford has been seeking his next opportunity since his Bellator release following the PFL merger. It seems Danis has caught his attention as a potential opponent.
Danis hasn’t had the best track record recently. He’s only competed once since his two fights in Bellator nearly five years ago. That ended in a disqualification loss in a boxing match against Logan Paul. He also faces a lawsuit from Paul’s fiancée Nina Agdal for online harassment and hacking allegations.