Judging his actions following at UFC 229 to be unsportsmanlike conduct, the Nevada Athletic Commission has handed out a seven month suspension to Bellator fighter and Conor McGregor teammate Dillon Danis.
In something of a surprise, Dillon Danis has had his punishment handed down by the NAC for his role in the UFC 229 brawl. Danis, if you recall, was the McGregor teammate who became the focus of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s attack when the Dagestani fighter jumped out of the cage following his win over Conor McGregor that night in October.
Although speculation was that Danis had trash talked or otherwise caught the attention of Nurmagomedov, the champion later admitted that he had not heard a word from Danis. Instead, noticing that McGregor’s other cornermen, including coach John Kavanagh, were too old, Nurmagomedov chose to attack Danis.
Which makes the 7-month suspension handed to Danis Monday something of a head-scratcher. The Nevada Athletic Commission also handed him a $7,500 fine, far less than both McGregor ($50,000) and Nurmagomedov ($500,000). Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, teammates of the champion, were also previously handed one-year suspensions and fines of $25,000.
In way of explanation, the commission stated that Danis was being suspended on an unsportsmanlike conduct charge, given he had to be restrained following the incident, and used obscene gestures throughout.
Danis, a jiu-jitsu standout who made his MMA debut under the Bellator banner in 2018, will be eligible to return to action as of May 6, 2019.
