Things got fiery backstage ahead of Misfits Boxing 22, but not between two opponents.
The crossover boxing promotion returns for its latest event this Saturday, as the AO Arena in Manchester plays host to a card featuring a mix of influencers, TikTok stars, professional fighters, and UFC legends.
Topping the lineup will be a battle of ex-UFC standouts, as former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold debuts against Darren Till, who has already reeled off three wins in the ring since departing MMA’s leading promotion at the start of 2023.
Before Tony Ferguson also makes his first boxing appearance, Misfits will stage its very first MMA bout. Returning to the all-encompassing sport will be Dillon Danis and, as usual, his latest fight week has not been absent of controversy.
Dillon Danis says he slept ex-UFC champ Luke Rockhold during backstage melee
On August 30, Danis will compete in MMA for the first time since Bellator 222 in 2019. But as his comeback fast approaches, the 32-year-old has not had all of his attention on opponent Warren Spencer.
Ahead of Friday’s weigh-ins, news emerged of a backstage brawl between Danis and Rockhold. That followed a fiery Misfits Boxing 22 press conference that included the pair going back and forth on stage.
While no footage has been released, a still image shows Danis launching himself at the ex-UFC champion, and Rockhold has posted an image of his injury from the scrap, having sustained a bad cut across his back.
According to Conor McGregor’s former teammate, that was not the only damage Rockhold sustained.
“Well, I already knocked out Luke Rockhold today,” Danis said on stage at the weigh-ins when asked how he plans to approach his upcoming fight. “He’s a UFC former champion; that was easy.
“So I’ll knock out the mechanic (Spencer) tomorrow, and then I’ll fight KSI after that.
“I’m just taking everybody out,” Danis added.
Dillon Danis plots revenge on Islam Makhachev seven years on from UFC 229
Suffice it to say, Danis is not short on enemies.
In addition to his upcoming opponent, fellow Misfits 22 star Rockhold, and Misfits co-founder KSI, the former Bellator fighter is certainly disliked by a number of names in the UFC. Among them is no doubt former lightweight king Islam Makhachev.
Danis and Makhachev were on opposing sides of the brawl after Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor at UFC 229 in October 2018. The American subsequently accused his Dagestani foe of getting off a cheap shot from behind during the chaos, and he doesn’t seem to have forgotten.
“I want Islam,” Danis said while speaking to Bloody Elbow. “Islam is a s—bag, I would submit him so easily, he’s never faced a grappler like me.
“I want to finish off where we started when he punched me in the back of the head that night seven years ago, when I said I’d get my revenge one day.
“Islam’s s—, all them are s—,” Danis added. “Maybe I will go [to UFC 322] and jump in the cage to get him back.
“UFC are very strict with me, though. When I go to events they make sure to have like seven security around me so I have to be careful because I’m trying to be in their good graces.”
Makhachev will challenge Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 for the promotion’s welterweight title.