Danis and Spencer exchanged words for the first time ahead of their Aug. 30 fight at Misfits Boxing 22.
Misfits Boxing is getting into the MMA game for its Aug. 30 event in Manchester, England. Before the headlining boxing bouts featuring ex-UFC stars Luke Rockhold, Darren Till and Tony Ferguson, Dillon Danis will return to action against Warren Spencer in a battle for the inaugural Misfits light heavyweight MMA title.
It's been nearly two full years since Danis last competed in combat sports, coming up short in a boxing match against Logan Paul in October 2023, which ended a four-year hiatus from combat competition for the former Bellator MMA prospect. Danis went 2-0 in Bellator from 2018-19, however his upcoming match against Spencer marks his return to the sport for the first time in six years.
Spencer, on the other hand, makes his MMA debut on Aug. 30 after starting his pro boxing career with a win in April. Calling in through Zoom to confront Danis on Tuesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Warren revealed that he has no intentions of playing on the ground with the jiu-jitsu specialist.
"I'd be stupid not to think that Dillon wasn't going to come and dive for my legs," Spencer said. "I think he's going to dive for my legs, I really do. I'm going to hit him with a big fresh one-two [combination] down the middle. He's going to go, 'Oh s***, this is real power,' and then he's going to dive for my legs and try and sniff my balls and tap me out. I'm not going to let him. I'm not going to let myself get my leg ripped off on live television or get strangled on live television. I'm tapping.
"We're fighting for real. Punches, kicks, knees, elbows, flying dragon kick, or I'm tapping. ... You've shown the world now that when you've got nothing left — look at the Logan Paul fight, when there's nothing left, you die. You shoot for the legs and you die. When you know you've lost, you die."
Never one to shy away from a verbal exchange, Danis quickly bantered back and forth with his upcoming opponent. Danis scored first-round submissions in his lone two MMA fights and advised Warren not to follow the footsteps of his previous foes.
"I hope you tap quick because it's going to be a bad night," Danis responded. "You're not going to be able to walk. You're going to be taken out on a stretcher when your knees are mangled.
"I'd fight you right now in this f***ing room, and I would whoop your ass 10 times out of 10. You don't understand it."
Obviously, keeping the fight on the feet is the best path to victory for Spencer, as he admitted and desires. The Brit took it a step further, praising Danis and stating that there was no point in wasting his time learning jiu-jitsu ahead of the match.
Before this fight came together, Danis was lined up to take on the aforementioned UFC veteran Ferguson in the now-defunct Global Fight League (GFL). Thanks to his brash, outspoken personality, Danis has previously found himself linked to much more experienced fighters than Spencer, and "The Mechanic" is aware of that. Therefore, he insists he's only trying to help Danis, to an extent.
"I want to see Dillon come out and show everybody he's a well-rounded fighter," Spencer said. "He's calling out Jon Jones, all these big, crazy names. Look, you've got to get through 'The Mechanic' first. If you want to show everyone you're a well-rounded fighter and you want to show you can strike, then do it.
"I'm going to make you richer. I'm going to give you a stepping stone to be a UFC legend, so you have to like me. Dillon's like my little stepson. What kind of father would I be if I wouldn't support my son?"
Ultimately, Danis wasn't overly amused by Spencer's overtures and promised their upcoming fight would be his own return to the win column, while also keeping Danis undefeated in MMA.
"It's going to be f***ed up when your stepson takes you down and puts you on your ass," Danis said.
Category: General Sports
