Michael Chandler criticizes Dillon Danis’ performance at Bellator 198 and his desperate imitation of Conor McGregor.
I think it’s safe to say Michael Chandler isn’t a Dillon Danis fan.
Following Danis’ professional MMA debut at Bellator 198, which saw the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist submit Kyle Walker with a toehold in the first round, lightweight standout Michael Chandler called Danis the ‘most un-athletic fighter’ on the Bellator roster.
Just catching up to #bellator198 @dillondanis said he was the “highest paid fighter in @BellatorMMA” but I think he meant to say “most un-athletic fighter in Bellator” and that was against a man with a losing record. #cringe #slow #sloth #bellator198
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) April 29, 2018
Chandler’s tweet was a retaliation to Danis’ Bellator 198 post-fight interview, where he called the rest of the fighters on the card ‘bums’ and referred to himself as a ‘samurai’.
Danis, who has clearly taken inspiration from SBG Ireland teammate Conor McGregor in the trash talking department, also referred to Chandler as a nobody and said his fellow fighters are probably jealous of him.
Chandler, who is one of the most accomplished lightweight fighters outside of the UFC, having beat the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Benson Henderson, finds Danis’ antics a little desperate and accused the 24-year-old of being a ‘wannabe Conor McGregor’.
Chandler also doubled down on his criticism of Danis’ ‘un-athletic’ performance at Bellator 198 and called the aspiring welterweight contender a ‘dork’ on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show.
“I don’t think he looked very good,” Chandler told Rogan on Monday, per MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn. “It was all right. He went in there, got a nice little transition. He looked like a fish out of water on the feet, which of course it’s his first MMA fight. Do I respect the win, do I respect what he did in BJJ? It’s cool, but it’s mixed martial arts. It’s funny how much he’s being called out for being just a wannabe Conor with the exact same stuff. He’s doing a good job with it, but he also said he’s the highest paid fighter in Bellator and silly stuff.”
“He’s a dork, man. Huge dork.”
Chandler, 32, is on a mission to reclaim his lightweight title, so we’re unlikely to see the NCAA Division I wrestler lock horns with Danis — a welterweight — in the Bellator cage anytime soon. If ever.