Bellator prospect Dillon Danis is just beginning his road to recovery.
Danis, a jiu-jitsu blackbelt who serves as a coach for UFC star Conor McGregor, announced Saturday on Twitter that he underwent a seven-hour surgery to “reconstruct” his knee. Danis’ tweet was accompanied by a photo of him laying in a hospital bed.
“This has been one of the toughest tests of my career, but i’m [sic] fully committed to take it head on and come back stronger than ever,” he said. “You can break my body but never my spirit!”
It’s unclear how long Danis’ recovery will be. When contacted by MMA Junkie, Bellator couldn’t provide further details but issued a statement.
“We’ll be in touch with Dillon and his management team in the coming weeks to discuss a potential timeline for his return,” the statement read. “In the meantime, we wish him a full and speedy recovery.”
Danis had been scheduled to fight Jan. 25 at Bellator 238, but withdrew from the card after injuring his knee while helping McGregor prepare for his UFC 246 fight against Donald Cerrone. At the UFC 246 ceremonial weigh-ins, Danis was spotted on crutches and with his right leg wrapped. He told ESPN at the time that he’d had surgery to repair injuries to the LCL and meniscus.
Danis, 26, hasn’t been very active in his MMA career to this point. He’s 2-0, with both wins being first-round submissions under the Bellator banner. He made his debut in April 2018 and didn’t fight again until June 2019.
