Jiu-jitsu phenom Dillon Danis has a dance partner for his upcoming mixed martial arts debut.
Danis (0-0) will face Kyle Walker (2-4) on the main card of Bellator 198 on April 28th, an event to be headlined by a blockbuster clash between Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir.
The fight announcement comes virtually a year to the day since Danis signed a deal to join Bellator ranks and though his combat career since then has been occupied with BJJ since then, the New Yorker’s schedule is now clear to make what is a long-awaited move to mixed martial arts.
The bout will be contested at a catch-weight of 175-pounds.
The wait is over! 🙌
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kingpin 'El Jefe' @dillondanis will make his highly anticipated #MMA debut on Saturday, April 28th when he faces Kyle Walker at @AllstateArena in Chicago! #Bellator198 pic.twitter.com/YxivAcLaOp
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) March 15, 2018
Danis arrived in Dublin last week to train for the bout at John Kavanagh’s SBG Ireland facility for the bout, affording him a training camp of around five weeks for his debut. Of course, Danis has already been a fixture on the mats at SBG Ireland having been an integral part of Conor McGregor’s recent training camps for the second Nate Diaz bout and his title-winning match in New York against Eddie Alvarez.
Walker, meanwhile, will also be making his Bellator debut on the card. The 2-4 fighter has been defeated in all three of his most recent bouts, two of which came as a result of submission and Danis, the world class practitioner that he is, will be hopeful of adding another defeat to Walker’s career ledger when they meet at the end of April.
Bellator 198 main card:
- Heavyweight Grand Prix First Round: Fedor Emelianenko (36-5, 1 NC) vs. Frank Mir (18-11)
- Featherweight Co-Main Event: Emmanuel Sanchez (16-3) vs. Sam Sicilia (16-8)
- Middleweight Main Card Bout: John Salter (15-3) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (7-0)
- Welterweight Main Card Bout: Neiman Gracie (7-0) vs. Javier Torres (10-3)
- 175-Pound Catchweight Main Card Bout: Dillon Danis (Pro Debut) vs. Kyle Walker (2-4)
