Conor McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis signs with Bellator MMA

Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports revealed tonight and Danis’ management ‘Paradigm Sports Management’ confirmed that McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis has signed with Bellator MMA and is expected to debut for the promotion before the end of the year.

Danis spoke with Iole and revealed that he wants “to fight the best, just like Conor does”

“I want to fight the best, just like Conor does”

“We’re different people, though we’re very like-minded. We set high goals and we aren’t afraid to try to achieve. I feel he’s the best ever, in my opinion, and so if people want to compare us, well, how could it be bad if you’re a basketball player to be compared to Michael Jordan? That’s essentially what people would be saying if they compare us.

“I obviously respect what he has accomplished and will accomplish in the future. He’s incredible and the aura of confidence he has is amazing. He’s a champion for a reason. But I want to go down my own path and do it my way.”

Bellator MMA president Scott Coker also spoke to Yahoo Sports and said that talents like Danis “develop if you push them along and nurture them the right way”

“Look, when we were building Strikeforce, we signed guys like Daniel Cormier, Tyron Woodley, Ronda [Rousey], Luke Rockhold, people like that, and they all developed into stars and pretty good fighters, I’d say,” Coker said. “I want to use that old Strikeforce philosophy with Bellator: Buying the best free agents and building from the top down and signing these young guys who excel in one discipline of the martial arts, whether it is wrestling or jiu-jitsu, taekwondo or traditional karate, and then building from the bottom up.

“A guy like Dillon, with such high-level jiu-jitsu, whenever a fight goes to the ground, he’s going to be a serious threat. He’s going to have to master the stand-up game and everything else, but what I’ve found over the years is that when you take a guy like this, who has competed all over the world in big events, they’re calm and relaxed and they’ll develop if you push them along and nurture them the right way.”