LAS VEGAS – Dillon Danis was fined $7,500 for his role in the infamous UFC 229 brawl, but his legal counsel said the actual money he’s lost following the incident is much greater.
“It cost him significant money,” Danis’ attorney, Mike Mersch, today told MMAjunkie. “He had a significant contract and a fight set up for Feb. 15 at Mohegan Sun, and he wasn’t able to participate in that, so he lost that money. That money is gone. So in addition to the fine he paid here, he lost that additional, so really he paid a lot more of a price than what’s on the paperwork today.”
In addition to the financial penalty, Danis (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) was today suspended seven months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, dating retroactively to the Oct. 6 incident, for his role in he post-fight brawl that involved Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.
Danis, McGregor’s training partner and jiu-jitsu coach, was seen making obscene gestures toward Nurmagomedov at the conclusion of the UFC 229 contest. “The Eagle” obliged, setting off a wild scene that included skirmishes bout in an and out of the octagon. As a licensed cornermen on the evening, Danis was subject to NSAC oversight.
Danis did not appear in person for today’s hearing, but Mersch said while his client may not necessarily agree with everything that he’s endured since the incident, Danis believed accepting the negotiated settlement was the right choice in terms of getting back to work as quickly as possible.
“Dillon’s goal is to get back and start fighting,” Mersch said. “He’s already lost a fight. He was supposed to fight for Bellator in February. That didn’t happen because of the suspension. A lot more surrounds that, but at the end of the day, Dillon has acted in a professional manner. He’s done the right thing. His goal is to get back and to fight for Bellator as soon as possible. It looks like he has the potential to do that in mid- to late May, and so the suspension runs obviously just before that, and this was something that he was interested in pursuing because again, whether he agrees with 100 percent of the details of this, that and the other thing, that’s not his goal. His goal is to get back and start fighting again. That’s why this settlement mad sense for him at the time.”
Bellator officials were not immediately available for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie, but the promotion currently has an event scheduled for May 11 in Chicago, marking the first card for the company following the conclusion of Danis’ suspension.
For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
