Dillon Danis has hit out at a "fishy" rehydration clause in the contract for his fight with KSI, declaring that he's concerned the fight may not happen.
The Bellator MMA star is set to make his boxing debut against YouTube star KSI on January 14 at the OVO Arena Wembley. But he has expressed his concern with a clause that will make him weigh in again on fight day after cutting down considerably to get to 177.5lb for the official weigh-ins the day before.
Danis claims that he will be hit with a hefty fine for coming in over another weight, which he isn't used to from the world of MMA or jiu-jitsu where he made his name. It's common to have a rehydration limit in boxing, with a number of big fights being delayed during negotiations over the severity of such a clause in recent memory.
"I feel like this fight won't happen," Danis told Chael Sonnen in an interview posted last night. "I feel like they're starting to get scared, I think they saw clips or people like you saying I was going to win. They're trying to make weird things in the contract now two weeks before, I feel like they're looking for a way out.
"If it does happen like that, I don't wait for nobody, I would jump on that Bellator card on February 4, Bader vs Fedor. I just keep moving so whatever happens I don't need anybody I just need myself so if they want to go and make all these stupid rules in the fight [they can]."
Danis is also concerned that the fight is taking place under the PBA, as opposed to the British Boxing Board of Control, meaning that it will not be a fully sanctioned professional boxing bout. They will wear 10oz gloves, but the crossover boxing ruleset has previously included standing eight counts and three-round fights, which are not legitimate. The bout will not appear on BoxRec.
"It's not a professional fight so they're trying to do everything to handicap for me," Danis added. "I'm not going to settle like that, I'm not Tyron Woodley... I do what I want to do so whatever happens happens. I'll go back to what I do best; MMA. A real fight, not a half a fight with these guys."
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KSI's manager and Misfits Boxing boss Mams Taylor has responded to Danis' claim, insisting that the rehydration clause is not a surprise that has been sprung on the fighter last minute. He took to Twitter to air out the promotion's side of the situation, telling fans that Danis was not telling the full story in his interview with Sonnen.
"Here are the facts. Hate that I have to come with receipts again but here we go," he wrote. "1-Danis signed a contract (binding short form) over 2 months ago. 2-The contracted weight was 177.5lb with a rehydration clause limit of 185lb. 3-We tried 170 and he said that was too light so neither Dillon or his team objected to the rehydration clause until now.
"4-If Dillon had an issue with this he should have brought it up and not signed the contract (2 months ago).Then either we would have figured out different terms or gone with a different opponent. To make out that we are being shady and throwing this in last minute is just messed up considering he has been treated with nothing but respect and courtesy."
