Dillon Danis has withdrawn from his grappling match with Colby Covington at Hype Fighting in Rome, and UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. has volunteered to take his place on about three days' notice. The submission-only match headlines the card at the PalaPellicone on Tuesday, November 3.
What happened
Hype Fighting organizers announced Danis's absence at a press conference, according to MMA Mania and Boxing News. "Unfortunately, Dillon Danis could not come," an organizer said, adding that if someone wanted to wrestle Covington, the promotion could organize it.
Rosas Jr. was in the audience and accepted on the spot. MMA Mania quotes him saying, "I'll do it," before he faced off with Covington. No reason for Danis's withdrawal has been given in the reports we reviewed. Some outlets have still described the replacement as not yet officially confirmed by the promotion.
The size gap
The match-up is lopsided on paper. Covington, 38, is a natural welterweight, while Rosas Jr. competes at bantamweight, 135 pounds against Covington's usual 170.
Our database lists Covington at 17-5 in MMA, with his last bout a third-round TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley on December 14, 2024. He was ranked No. 15 in the UFC welterweight division as of April. Bloody Elbow reports that he has since become a Real American Freestyle crossover champion and signed with Hype FC for submission-only matches.
Rosas Jr. is 13-1 and ranked No. 8 in the UFC bantamweight division as of October 27. He won his last fight on September 26, a fifth-round TKO of Raoni Barcelos. He has grappled under the Hype FC banner before, in a match against Deiveson Figueiredo that was ruled a draw, according to the reports.
Danis and his pullouts
Boxing News and MMA Mania describe this as Danis's third withdrawal from a signed bout in under a year. In August he pulled out of an MMA fight with Mike Perry at Duel Arena, citing an arm injury that observers questioned. He also withdrew from a December Misfits boxing match against Anthony Taylor, with organizers citing medical clearance problems after a brawl at UFC 322.
Danis lost to Covington in a Real American Freestyle match in March, and the reports say he lost all three of his RAF appearances this year. In MMA, our records show him at 2-0 with one no contest, with his last fight in 2019.
What comes next
The card is set for Tuesday in Rome. The promotion has not detailed rules or weight arrangements for the new pairing. Whether Danis will face consequences for the withdrawal, or explain it, remains unknown.
Sources
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This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.