Neiman Gracie is set to meet Dave Marfone at Bellator 180 in New York, but that wasn’t the promotion’s original plan for the June 24 event at Madison Square Garden.
Before the bout was officially announced by Bellator, Gracie tweeted that Bellator reached out to offering him a fight with MMA newcomer Dillon Danis, a jiu-jitsu ace who trains with UFC champion Conor McGregor.
Gracie agreed, but Danis turned down the offer because it was a preliminary bout, saying he would only miss the IBJJF World Championship for a spot on the pay-per-view main card.