Dillon Danis has withdrawn from his scheduled bout against KSI, leaving the YouTuber in search of a replacement opponent for the boxing match on January 14. Surprisingly, when the fight was announced in late November last year, MMA reporter Ariel Helwani predicted the fate of the bout.
According to Misfits Boxing representative and KSI's manager Mams Taylor, Danis called to inform them that he's pulling out of the fight, citing a lack of preparation. The fight was scheduled to take place at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, England.
In the months leading up to the fight, Danis revealed that he did not have a coach, among other factors, working against his favor. He also appeared to have only recently learned the specifics of the bout regarding his weight, including a rehydration clause.
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Dillon Danis and Ariel Helwani's witty banter has been well-received by the MMA community at large. In Danis' recent in-person interview on The MMA Hour, the two engaged in an hour-long verbal tussle that became the most-watched video of the segment in 2022.
On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani discussed his prediction of the fight's fate, saying:
"I'm setting the [betting] line at -9000 [that] the fight doesn't happen... This feels like a total farce of a fight. KSI is a very popular guy. I don't know why he's entertaining this... Dillon Danis has become the wet fart of combat sports. The thing that no one wants, the thing you try to avoid."
Catch Helwani's comments below :
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Dillon Danis reacts to news of him withdrawing from scheduled clash with KSI
The MMA community was not surprised by Dillon Danis' withdrawal from his upcoming clash against KSI next weekend.
The fight between KSI and Danis was called off on Wednesday, with KSI's manager Mams Taylor saying that Danis pulled out because he was "underprepared" and "struggling with weight." KSI will now be competing against professional gamer FaZe Temperrr.
Danis has not fought in a combat sports setting since 2019, and it appears that 'El Jefe' will not be seen competing again in the near future. He responded to the news on Twitter, initially saying that it was false information:
"Fake news [laughing emoji]"
He further wrote:
"The truth will shock everyone."
With that in mind, fans can anticipate that Danis will elaborate on his side of the story in the coming days.