LAS VEGAS -- Dillon Danis hopes to be celebrating with his close friend and training partner Conor McGregor on Saturday in Las Vegas. But he won't be able to celebrate a victory of his own next week.
Danis is out of his scheduled Bellator 238 fight with Kegan Gennrich because of a knee injury, he confirmed with ESPN on Friday afternoon at the UFC 246 ceremonial weigh-ins at Park MGM.
McGregor fights Donald Cerrone in the UFC 246 main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
Danis, who was on crutches at the UFC weigh-ins, told ESPN that he recently had surgery to repair injuries to the LCL and meniscus of his right knee. He said he was unsure how long he would be out, though he wasn't expecting it to be a lengthy time away from the cage.
Best known for being a standout in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Danis is 2-0 as an MMA fighter for Bellator, winning both fights by first-round submission. Danis, a 26-year-old New Jersey native, most recently beat Max Humphrey with an armbar last June at Madison Square Garden.
McGregor hired Danis as a grappling training partner following his submission loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in 2016. McGregor won the rematch five months later.
McGregor and Danis have been close ever since, and Danis was in McGregor's corner for his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018.
Nurmagomedov infamously climbed the Octagon and brawled with Danis after that bout, igniting an ugly melee that led to several members of both teams being fined and suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
Danis will not be in McGregor's corner on Saturday, sources said.