One-time Bellator title challenger Austin Vanderford is plotting his MMA return, however he extremely doubts Dillon Danis would be the opponent to welcome him again.
After securing his launch following the merger between PFL and Bellator, Vanderford has been therapeutic up some accidents whereas awaiting the precise alternative to guide his subsequent battle. As he pursued numerous choices, Vanderford all of the sudden discovered himself able the place Danis appeared like the right opponent after the previous grappling champion determined to focus on his spouse Paige VanZant in a sequence of social media posts.
Whereas VanZant more than handled her own in the feud, she nonetheless proposed a battle between Vanderford and Danis as a strategy to settle the nastiness as soon as and for all.
Sadly, that decision has fallen on deaf ears.
“We haven’t ever heard something again,” Vandeford not too long ago advised MMA Preventing. “I might positive love that, for positive. We may make some good strikes with that.
“We’ve made it public that I might like to battle him and I would it not do below no matter stipulations he would have or no matter. We haven’t ever heard something again.”
Danis hasn’t competed in MMA since 2019, when he improved his report 2-0 with a submission win in Bellator earlier than the promotion finally launched him in 2023. Since then, Danis suffered a disqualification loss in an unsightly boxing match towards Logan Paul.
Danis can also be presently embroiled in a lawsuit filed by Paul’s fiancée Nina Agdal alleging that he violated state and Federal revenge porn legal guidelines by posting illicitly obtained photographs of her on-line.
There’s no phrase if Danis plans to compete once more, however Vanderford nonetheless welcomes the problem — and that’s the type of battle that’s extra private than enterprise.
“I’m positive he calls for some huge cash,” Vanderford stated. “I might simply go battle him for no matter. I’d go battle him without cost.”
For her half, VanZant doesn’t imagine Danis would ever step as much as the plate.
“Dillon would by no means battle him,” VanZant stated. “I don’t know that he’ll ever battle once more.”
Past a unlikely battle towards Danis, Vanderford nonetheless hopes to return quickly.
“All the pieces that went by way of with the PFL and Bellator, with the merger and stuff, I might have favored to have fought eight months in the past,” Vanderford stated. “I had a little bit harm and I type of had a setback on a earlier harm I had too, after which with all of the uncertainty with Bellator and the PFL, there was a number of month interval the place there was no fights, nothing was getting booked. As soon as all that received discovered, we type of got here up with a sport plan.
“I practice full time, on a regular basis, irrespective of how busy we’re and doing that. So simply being prepared. I additionally made the choice too that I used to be going to return to 170 [pounds], so [I’m] engaged on getting my weight again down in a spot the place if an enormous alternative arose in per week or two weeks, I’d be capable of make 170 safely and be good there.”
Within the larger image, Vanderford made it identified that he would ultimately wish to earn a spot on the UFC roster, which was all the time his dream upon changing into a fighter.
He almost received his likelihood again in 2018 after he scored a submission win on Dana White’s Contender Sequence, however UFC didn’t find yourself providing him a contract. That led to his arrival in Bellator, the place he spent the following four-plus years.
Now a free agent once more, Vanderford is aware of he has some work to do to get UFC’s consideration, however he’s prepared to do no matter it takes to lastly earn his spot there.
“Moving into the game, that’s just about all of our objectives — we need to go battle within the UFC and go see what we will do,” Vanderford stated. “In fact, I’m coming off a loss and had setbacks and stuff, however I really feel mentally sturdy and I perceive errors being made and stuff like that. I’ve simply saved my head down and saved working and staying prepared and staying ready for the following factor.
“I’d wish to get a battle booked, wherever it’s at, within the subsequent few weeks and have one thing accomplished by the top of July, starting of August, so I can progress ahead from there. I really really feel the healthiest I’ve been in a short while now. I’m simply excited to get again out and compete, and particularly watching [VanZant] simply provides extra gas to the fireplace.”
Trending Merchandise
