Conor McGregor's BJJ coach Dillon Danis: I’ll fight Nate Diaz in MMA ‘tomorrow’

Nate Diaz specifically called out Conor McGregor's Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Dillon Danis on Saturday night. On Monday, Danis responded.

Diaz ripped Danis at the post-fight press conference after UFC 202 in Las Vegas, bashing him for representing the Irishman when he is from the United States and saying he's on his "hit list." Danis told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour that if Diaz wants a fight, he can have one.

"I don't know what that means, I'm on his hit list," Danis said. "But if he wants to do MMA, I'll fight him in MMA if he wants. He can do a CM Punk with me and bring me into the UFC. He can be my first fight. I'll fight him in a couple months, whatever he wants to do."

Danis, 23, is a black belt in BJJ under legendary coach Marcelo Garcia in New York. He doesn't have any MMA experience at all.

McGregor brought him in for his Diaz camp and two became close over the last few months. Danis was front and center when Team McGregor and Team Diaz threw bottles at each other at the pre-fight press conference last Wednesday.

"That jiu-jitsu coach he's got, I'm gonna get that motherf*cker, man," Diaz said Saturday night. "That guy is on my hit list. This is America and he's over there representing with them? And then he wants to try to lock up at a press conference like he's hard? That's the reason that fool got rushed at the press conference, too. It's because they're over there making it seem like we're the hottest sh*t in town, but I had too many riders with me all ready. Otherwise, we had a good press conference. They walked in like they were the sh*t to steal the show."

Danis, a New Jersey native, said he'll always represent the United States. But he became tight with McGregor and his team over the last few months training and living with them in Ireland and Las Vegas. Danis said McGregor has become like a "brother" to me.

After the bout, Danis said he tried to congratulate Diaz on a great fight and he was spurned.

"I had a lot of respect for Nate Diaz," Danis said. "I went to shake his hand after the fight, he wouldn't shake my hand. He was saying things. This is the fight game. After the fight, emotions are high. But c'mon man. I did nothing to him. I don't understand. But now he wants to make it personal. If he wants to fight, that's fine. I don't understand where that came from."

Danis was one of the main players in last Wednesday's pre-fight press conference mess. Security had to hold him back from trying to get to Team Diaz. He said it was because Diaz threw a water bottle directly at him.

"So whatever he wants to say, I was trying to act hard, he threw it at me and I caught it," Danis said. "I caught it perfectly. It was a weak throw and I caught it with like one hand. I was like Odell Beckham'ing out there. I caught it with one hand and I threw it right back. It got crazy."

Danis said he'll make the transition to MMA one day, most likely after he attempts to win the IBJJF world championship in a gi. But he's willing to skip ahead and fight Diaz if that's what the Stockton bad boy wants.

"Any kind of combat he wants to do, I'm ready to step in there with him," Danis said. "Whatever he wants. No problem. MMA? It doesn't matter to me. I'll fight him in MMA tomorrow."