Dillon Danis withdraws from Mike Perry fight with arm injury, drawing fresh ridicule from MMA community

Dillon Danis has withdrawn from his main event fight against Mike Perry at Duel Arena in Orlando, Florida, with the announcement made at Thursday’s press conference for the Saturday card. UFC veteran Brandon Jenkins has been confirmed as his replacement.

Danis attributed the withdrawal to an arm injury, posting a photo of a gruesome cut on his Instagram alongside a separate image on Twitter. The explanation did little to soften the reaction from the MMA community, which has grown accustomed to Danis failing to follow through on scheduled bouts.

The 33-year-old has competed just six times since 2018, when he began pursuing combat sports beyond grappling tournaments — a remarkably thin record given the volume of fights he has been attached to over that period. His list of cancelled appearances comfortably outnumbers the contests he has actually completed.

Danis has remained a prominent figure in combat sports through high-profile crossover events rather than traditional MMA competition. He faced influencer and WWE star Logan Paul in a boxing match in 2023 and has taken part in a pair of RAF wrestling matches against Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington. He is still listed to wrestle Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 14 on October 3, though that booking will now attract additional scrutiny.

Despite his limited in-cage output, Danis — a former high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor — has consistently generated attention through social media and his association with Conor McGregor’s team. That notoriety has made each withdrawal a fresh talking point, and Thursday’s news was no exception, with fighters across social media offering reactions ranging from mockery to exasperation.

Mike Perry, who was set to headline the Duel Arena card, will now face Jenkins in what represents a significant change to the event’s marquee matchup.