We are a few days removed from Joe McColgan's (3-1) win over Richard Williams (4-1) at Cage Warriors 83. The Belfast fighter submitted his opponent with just one remaining second left but was ahead throughout the fight (watch here) and was surely going to be awarded a unanimous decision.
It was a good win and a great performance. So what next for McColgan? No doubt one BAMMA or Cage Warriors would happily have him on one of their cards in the near future. But what about revisiting the idea of McColgan taking on Dillon Danis.
Grappling ace and Conor McGregor training partner Dillon Danis (0-0) signed with Bellator recently and looks poised to make his professional MMA debut in the near future.
It is a tricky situation for Bellator to match Danis as he is no ordinary debutant. He comes with a world class grappling pedigree and notoriety. Danis has made a name for himself in the MMA after pairing up with McGregor and has split fan opinion of him.
You can't pit Danis against an experienced 'name' and you can't bring in a novice as you risk receiving some negative press. It is a similar situation the UFC faced when bringing in CM Punk only Danis has that BJJ background. It is because of this martial arts expertise I believe he should be pit against a promising fighter early in their own pro career.
I am sure there are tonnes of fighters who fit that bill but one who sticks out to me is Joe McColgan. There is already a built in storyline between the pair due to their shared words in the past and McColgan laying down an open challenge to Danis.
If you didn't know, McColgan has the reputation of being 'The SBG Hunter', a moniker that should immediately peek the interest of any fighter from the famed gym. Danis, through McGregor, has a connection with SBG. He has trained there, helped many of their fighters and learned from them in return. There is a narrative there that Bellator could tap into and sell to fans and media.
McColgan is a legit fighter but he is still growing and a matchup between the pair could be very competitive. Both offer each other a challenge and therefore giving Danis a proper introduction to MMA competition.
Danis loses to any high ranking pro and gains nothing if he beats a perceived can. So therefore he must fight someone who is in the middle and why not someone who already has that rivalry with him.....Joe McColgan.
