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KSI had his sights set on fighting an MMA fighter for his next boxing match, but it wasn’t supposed to be Dillon Danis.
Last week, Misfits Boxing officially announced that KSI—YouTuber, rapper, and PRIME co-founder—will headline an event on March 29 in Manchester, England, against former Bellator fighter and jiu-jitsu specialist Dillon Danis in a 185-pound boxing match. However, according to KSI, Danis was far from his first choice.
“I know I’m not even supposed to say this, but f*ck it, bro: Dillon Danis wasn’t even my fourth choice,” KSI revealed in a YouTube video posted Tuesday.
“We went to Nate Diaz, he said no. We went to Donald Cerrone, he said no. We went to Tony Ferguson, he said no. These guys said no to me. I’m there confused as to why a footballer wants to fight me, but these top UFC, ex-UFC fighters don’t want to fight me. Even (Jorge Masvidal). We went to Masvidal to fight, and he couldn’t do it because (he’s under UFC contract). Like, guys, we’ve been trying to find people to fight.”
While KSI expressed frustration at the number of fighters who declined the bout, the matchup with Danis at least presents a fair fight in terms of age. KSI, 31, will take on an opponent in his age range, whereas his other targets—Nate Diaz (39), Donald Cerrone (41), Tony Ferguson (40), and Jorge Masvidal (40)—are significantly older and past their physical primes.
This isn’t the first time KSI and Danis were scheduled to fight. The two were initially booked for a six-round exhibition in January 2023 at 178 pounds, but Danis pulled out of the match just 10 days before the event. He was replaced by gaming streamer FaZe Temperrr (Thomas Oliveira), whom KSI defeated with ease.
Despite the setbacks in securing a bigger name, KSI remains focused on proving himself in the boxing world. With Danis finally making it to fight night this time, fans will be watching closely to see if KSI can continue his rise or if Danis can redeem himself inside the ring.