One-time Bellator title challenger Austin Vanderford is plotting his MMA return, however he extremely doubts Dillon Danis would be the opponent to welcome him again.
After securing his launch following the merger between PFL and Bellator, Vanderford has been therapeutic up some accidents whereas awaiting the best alternative to e book his subsequent combat. As he pursued numerous choices, Vanderford immediately discovered himself ready the place Danis appeared like the proper opponent after the previous grappling champion determined to focus on his spouse Paige VanZant in a sequence of social media posts.
Whereas VanZant greater than dealt with her personal within the feud, she nonetheless proposed a combat between Vanderford and Danis as a option to settle the nastiness as soon as and for all.
Sadly, that decision has fallen on deaf ears.
“We haven’t ever heard something again,” Vandeford not too long ago informed MMA Combating. “I might certain love that, for certain. We might make some good strikes with that.
“We’ve made it public that I might like to combat him and I wouldn’t it do beneath no matter stipulations he would have or no matter. We haven’t ever heard something again.”
Danis hasn’t competed in MMA since 2019, when he improved his report 2-0 with a submission win in Bellator earlier than the promotion in the end launched him in 2023. Since then, Danis suffered a disqualification loss in an unpleasant boxing match towards Logan Paul.
Danis can be presently embroiled in a lawsuit filed by Paul’s fiancée Nina Agdal alleging that he violated state and Federal revenge porn legal guidelines by posting illicitly obtained images of her on-line.
There’s no phrase if Danis plans to compete once more, however Vanderford nonetheless welcomes the problem — and that’s the sort of combat that’s extra private than enterprise.
“I’m certain he calls for some huge cash,” Vanderford mentioned. “I might simply go combat him for no matter. I’d go combat him totally free.”
For her half, VanZant doesn’t consider Danis would ever step as much as the plate.
“Dillon would by no means combat him,” VanZant mentioned. “I don’t know that he’ll ever combat once more.”
Past a unlikely combat towards Danis, Vanderford nonetheless hopes to return quickly.
“All the things that went by means of with the PFL and Bellator, with the merger and stuff, I might have favored to have fought eight months in the past,” Vanderford mentioned. “I had a bit of harm and I sort of had a setback on a earlier harm I had too, after which with all of the uncertainty with Bellator and the PFL, there was just a few month interval the place there was no fights, nothing was getting booked. As soon as all that acquired discovered, we sort of got here up with a recreation plan.
“I prepare full time, on a regular basis, irrespective of how busy we’re and doing that. So simply being prepared. I additionally made the choice too that I used to be going to return to 170 [pounds], so [I’m] engaged on getting my weight again down in a spot the place if an enormous alternative arose in per week or two weeks, I’d have the ability to make 170 safely and be good there.”
Within the larger image, Vanderford made it recognized that he would finally prefer to earn a spot on the UFC roster, which was all the time his dream upon turning into a fighter.
He almost acquired his likelihood again in 2018 after he scored a submission win on Dana White’s Contender Sequence, however UFC didn’t find yourself providing him a contract. That led to his arrival in Bellator, the place he spent the subsequent four-plus years.
Now a free agent once more, Vanderford is aware of he has some work to do to get UFC’s consideration, however he’s keen to do no matter it takes to lastly earn his spot there.
“Stepping into the game, that’s just about all of our objectives — we need to go combat within the UFC and go see what we are able to do,” Vanderford mentioned. “In fact, I’m coming off a loss and had setbacks and stuff, however I really feel mentally sturdy and I perceive errors being made and stuff like that. I’ve simply saved my head down and saved working and staying prepared and staying ready for the subsequent factor.
“I’d prefer to get a combat booked, wherever it’s at, within the subsequent few weeks and have one thing performed by the tip of July, starting of August, so I can progress ahead from there. I actually really feel the healthiest I’ve been in a short time now. I’m simply excited to get again out and compete, and particularly watching [VanZant] simply provides extra gas to the fireplace.”
