GFL founder Darren Owen teases Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis matchup: "We can make the fights that people want to see"

Tony Ferguson is the type of guy who'd give his fans what they want - and it seems Global Fight League (GFL) is listening. After losing a record eight straight times in the UFC, the former interim lightweight champion moved to the budding promotion GFL, which also signed a few former UFC champions and fighters.

Fans of 'El Cucuy' have been ardently waiting for years (over four, to be exact) for him to finally get his hand raised again. GFL may have found the perfect dance partner for Ferguson's first fight in the promotion.

According to the new promotion's founder Darren Owen, a fight between Ferguson and former MMA fighter Dillon Danis may be in the works.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Owen said:

"We can make the fights that people want to see, and we're listening to everybody. Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis, that may be something that will come to fruition."

Danis is a former IBJJF brown belt gold medalist and known to have been the Jiu-jitsu coach of Conor McGregor. He's had two MMA fights (both wins in Bellator) and hasn't fought in the sport since June 2019, which is, interestingly, the month of Ferguson's last win.

While experience-wise, the two are light-years apart, a bout between Ferguson and Danis might mean high interest from fans. Danis is an expert troll both on social media and in front of a mic. As for Ferguson, the former interim UFC champ is one of the most beloved and eccentric fighters in the history of combat. Just the back-and-forth between the two alone will be MMA gold.

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Former Tony Ferguson opponent, Kevin Lee, calls him out for a rematch in GFL

One guy vying for a shot at Tony Ferguson in GFL is 'The Motown Phenom' Kevin Lee, who fought and lost to 'El Cucuy' in the UFC back in 2017. For a guy who just lost eight fights in a row, Ferguson sure does get a lot of interest still.

With both Lee and Ferguson signed by GFL, there's renewed interest in the meeting in the cage again - mostly coming from Lee. 'The Motown Phenom' took to X to respectfully call out his former foe:

"Aye @TonyFergusonXT imma need that. Sign the line let’s have a talk"

After suffering back-to-back losses in the UFC from 2020 to 2021, Lee was released from his contract. He then fought and won one fight in Khabib Nurmagomedov's Eagle FC. He was then re-signed by the UFC but lost his comeback fight, causing him to momentarily retire for over a year.

Lee returned to action in September 2024 and defeated Thiago Oliveira at Lights Out Championship 17. Now that he's signed by GFL, Lee is looking for the highest-profile fight he can find, which is a rematch with Tony Ferguson.