Dillon Danis thinks Conor McGregor’s jiu-jitsu is being heavily underestimated.
McGregor will take on Donald Cerrone next week in the main event of UFC 246, and there’s been a general notion heading into the fight: If Cerrone takes it to the ground, McGregor could be in trouble. That assessment has been shared by Jorge Masvidal, Georges St-Pierre, and various MMA analysts.
But Danis, a Bellator prospect who’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt and McGregor’s training partner, is confident in McGregor’s ability on the ground.
“Conor’s always been prepared, man,” Danis told “The Schmo.” in Wednesday interview. “Conor’s been one of the best jiu-jitsu guys that I’ve ever rolled with, like MMA-wise since I started training with him. His jiu-jitsu is on another level, and it always has been.”
All four of McGregor’s professional losses have come by way of submission. In his last fight, McGregor lost by fourth-round rear-naked choke at the hands of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018.
While Cerrone has insisted he will keep the fight standing, Danis thinks McGregor will be more than ready if the fight does end up on the ground.
“I think people just underestimate him for some reason, but if it does go to the ground, they’ll see,” Danis said. “They’ll see how good he is.”
