Former Bellator fighter Dillon Danis wanted to join the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter.

'El Jefe' hasn't appeared in action since his boxing match with Logan Paul in October 2023. That night saw Dillon Danis get dominated, suffering a disqualification loss in the sixth round after a failed takedown attempt. Over a year removed from that loss, the grappler is set to return to the ring against KSI later this month.

However, Dillon Danis is already preparing for his next MMA fight too. The former Bellator fighter is set to face former interim UFC champion Tony Ferguson later this year, in the newly formed Global Fight League. Ahead of his return, 'El Jefe' has been busy training with UFC light-heavyweight star Alex Pereira.

However, the 31-year-old originally wanted to join Dana White and the UFC. As a longtime friend of former two-weight champion Conor McGregor, the grappler already had connections with the company. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier today, Dillon Danis discussed his brief talks with the promotion.

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There, Dillon Danis revealed that he had spoken with the company in 2024, about potentially competing on The Ultimate Fighter. While the grappler was down with the idea, TKO Group executive Hunter Campbell reportedly shut it down, saying the Bellator veteran wasn't serious about fighting.

"I wanted to go to the UFC, that was the plan." Dillon Danis stated to Helwani earlier today. "So basically, we never got to Dana [White]... I went to the UFC for Pereira [vs. Jiri Prochazka 1], I saw the matchmaker, Mick Maynard. He came to me and said 'We saw the pop in the crowd for you, we want to sign you'. I was like, okay, he can't say that and not mean it..."

He continued, "I was like, alright, we're in. We were talking to Hunter [Campbell], and he was just like, he's going to make trouble and we don't want that. He's too controversial... So, The Ultimate Fighter was coming up. This is the one, this is the one that's DC [and Chael], that would've been pure cinema... They were like, no, we don't want to do it. 1oo% [I was serious], would've been the biggest numbers they've ever had..."

"[Hunter] was just like, he's going to go into the house, make the most trouble and not fight." Dillon Danis concluded. "It's the same thing that everyone says. It was so f*cking annoying."