Dillon Danis made headlines again in November 2025, but not for a planned fight. The 32-year-old ex-MMA fighter, pro boxer and submission grappler got into a cageside brawl at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and as a result, he was banned by the UFC.
This wasn’t the first public problem that Danis has been involved in. The New Jersey native has an arrest record in addition to a previous restraining order against him.
Here, Hollywood Life breaks down everything we know about Danis, his fighting career and personal life.
Dillon Danis Worked With Conor McGregor
Danis was asked to be a coach and training partner for Conor McGregor in 2016 ahead of the latter’s rematch against Nate Diaz. It was then that Danis became a well-known name in the MMA community, as he continued to work with McGregor for future fights.
In November 2023, Danis announced his retirement from professional fighting.
Dana White says Dillon Danis will NEVER be allowed to another UFC event again! 😬 #UFC322 pic.twitter.com/Upe58P5vya
— The Fiigen (@StubbornN54) November 16, 2025
Dillon Danis Was Banned by UFC Over a 2025 Cageside Fight
In November 2025, Danis got into a heated brawl at New York City’s MSG during UFC 322 against the teammates of Islam Makhachev. Quite a few members of security were needed to break up the fight, and UFC President Dana White explained what happened after the fact.
“I blame myself for that [brawl], actually,” White told reporters, according to multiple outlets. “They came back and told me right before I walked out for the main card that Dillon Danis was here and he was moving around, sitting in fighters’ seats and not sitting in his own seat that he had. He had a ticket. And they said, ‘Do you want us to throw him out of here?’ and I said, ‘He has a ticket?’ and they said, ‘Yeah.’”
Danis’ brawl with the others stemmed from past beef he had from a 2018 match between Makhachev’s training partner, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and McGregor.
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN — A massive brawl broke out at UFC 322 between Islam Makhachev’s teammates and Dillon Danis. (Championship Rounds) pic.twitter.com/tx4OVOzB42
— Gabriela Iglesias🇺🇲 (@iglesias_gabby) November 16, 2025
“They told me that [ex-UFC fighter] [Jorge] Masvidal said he’s going to f**k him up on sight,” White added while speaking to reporters. “And I said, ‘Where is Masvidal sitting?’ and they said, ‘Well, he’s six or seven rows away from Masvidal.’ So, I said ‘If the guy has a ticket, let him sit in his seat. Let him do what he’s doing, but keep an eye on him.’ It never even crossed my mind, as stupid as that could be, that the entire muslin brotherhood was here tonight in the first five rows for Islam. As soon as it broke out, I was over to the side and I said, ‘F**k I know exactly what that is.’”
White then revealed that the UFC had the option to press charges against Danis, but White chose not to.
“So, they call me from downstairs and they said, ‘We got him down here, do you want to press charges and have him arrested?’ And I said, ‘No, we don’t want to press charges. This is the fight business man,’” White said. “You know how I feel about this s**t. I could have prevented this tonight.”
Dillon Danis Is a Father: How Many Children He Has
Danis announced the birth of his son in August 2023, though the ex-fighter never revealed the identity of the child’s mother.
