Dillon Danis opens up on sparring with UFC champion Alex Pereira ahead of KSI fight: “He is a beast”

Dillon Danis has opened up on his training with UFC champion Alex Pereira ahead of his return to the boxing ring.

‘El Jefe’ hasn’t been seen in action since his clash with Logan Paul in October 2023. The bout was Dillon Danis’ first in the boxing ring, and he was badly dominated by ‘The Maverick’. The former Bellator star was outboxed for five rounds, ultimately getting disqualified in the sixth round after failing to secure a takedown on Paul.

While many mocked the grappler’s loss in the boxing ring, he’s now set to give it another go. Later this month, Dillon Danis will return to the Misfits ring to face influencer-turned-fighter KSI. For his part, ‘The Nightmare’ hasn’t competed since his unanimous decision loss to Tommy Fury almost two years ago.

Ahead of the bout, ‘El Jefe’ has returned to training with Alex Pereira. Dillon Danis previously worked with ‘Poatan’ before his loss to Logan Paul in 2023, but has taken training more intensely this time. In addition to facing KSI in the boxing ring, the grappler is set to face Tony Ferguson in the GFL cage later this year.

RELATED: PHOTO | RONDA ROUSEY FUELS COMEBACK RUMORS AFTER RETURNING TO TRAINING

Dillon Danis is putting in work with Alex Pereira 👀 pic.twitter.com/2TppNtO8hX

— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) February 26, 2025

Dillon Danis discusses training with UFC champion Alex Pereira ahead of boxing return

Speaking in a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Dillon Danis discussed his return. During the discussion, ‘El Jefe’ was asked about training with the UFC light-heavyweight champion, and how ‘Poatan’ has helped him prepare for KSI. There, Danis offered nothing but praise for Alex Pereira.

“I like to be in the pocket and throw.” Dillon Danis stated. “That’s how me and [Alex] Pereira have been sparring if you watch the footage. But these guys [KSI and Logan Paul] they don’t want to engage, run around the ring and circle and KSI’s quality is doing star jumps or some s*it.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

He continued, “Alex is a beast, he’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever felt in my whole life. So, I’m excited to see him f*cking knockout [Magomed] Ankalaev. I hate Dagestanis, not all of them, but a lot if I’m honest. So, Alex has shown me a lot and he’s just a f*cking animal who I’m happy to train with.”

What do you make of these comments from Dillon Danis? Are you excited for Alex Pereira’s return at UFC 313?