Much has been made about the association of Dillon Danis with Conor McGregor and with each subsequent day he seems to be connected much more to him than to the man who mentored him for years – Marcelo Garcia.

Dillon Danis Doesn’t Consider Himself Copycat

Still Danis is willing to give credit where it’s due. After a triumphant MMA debut over at Bellator Danis guested on the MMA Hour and here’s what he said in regards to Marcelo Garcia and more:

AH: I feel like a lot of people are rooting for your demise. They’re rooting for you not to succeed. Do you feel that as well. Do you feel like you’re battling that as you embark on your mma career?
DD: Yeah but I just see it as jealousness…

Helwani further prompted Danis about competition differences between mma and bjj, here’s how Danis responded:

It was different but you know I adapted in the moment, it is kinda the same as jiu-jitsu you’re in the bag, you have to get warmed up. It is a different feeling but I – in my head I want to embrace everything so… I just embrace all my feelings. And everything and I got, at one point I felt like I wasn’t even nervous at all right before I walked out I knew this is what I was here to do. And I knew that no way is someone taking away my dream. Marcelo told me this one time before a tournament. He said: It’s all on you, if you want this it’s in your hands, you, none can take it from you. That’s how I felt when I went out there. There’s no way this man is taking this from me. I went out there smiling, I felt great…

And as for the rest of it, Danis feels Askren would be easy for him:

 “I feel like I am the one to beat his undefeated record. You know…um…it would be, I think, a ground fight, and it would be an easy submission for me. He does not like leg attacks. I know his game very well, you know, and I feel like he would be scared to go to the ground with me.”

Dillon Danis discusses his Bellator debut, the shots from Michael Chandler and Ben Askren, what’s next and more on The MMA Hour.