We're not going to get that $100,000 Danis vs. Lee grappling match after all.
Dillon Danis had challenged top UFC lightweight Kevin Lee to a submission-only match and while the latter initially agreed to the challenge, Lee has since had second thoughts about putting $100,000 of his own money on the line.
The offer came in August, after Lee claimed that he had come out on top in several exchanges when he rolled with Danis, with 'The Motown Phenom' telling Ariel Helwani that he was "tricking off him, hitting reverse triangles and all that."
Danis, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Marcelo Garcia, took umbrage with that boast and suggested a winner-takes-all roll on Instagram, a challenge which Lee initially accepted.
https://twitter.com/MoTownPhenom/status/1029478347422687232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1029478347422687232&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsjoe.ie%2Fmma%2Fdillon-danis-kevin-lee-172756
No date was set for the meeting of the fifth-ranked lightweight in the UFC and Danis, who has been in the headlines this week after being attacked by Khabib Nurmagomedov after the Russian's submission victory over McGregor in the main event of UFC 229, and the match now looks unlikely to take place.
Lee explained this week that he had no interest in risking $100,000 against Danis unless strikes were allowed.
"Dillon Danis is one of the best in Jiu Jitsu, hands down! He's a multiple-time world champion" Lee said.
"I know that. What I do is MMA and it's a different style. I roll every day and I do Jiu Jitsu every day so I'll step in there with any man.
"But I do know that there are certain positions that he can get in where he could catch me.
https://twitter.com/dillondanis/status/1050324566306971648
"Cool, if I'm going to do $100,000 then let me slap you. That's it. Let's add strikes.
"I will do straight Jiu Jitsu but I'm not going to put up $100,000. I'm just keeping it real."
