Dillon Danis pulls out of Hype FC Rome grappling match; Raul Rosas Jr. steps in vs Colby Covington

Colby Covington has a new opponent for Tuesday's Hype FC grappling event in Rome. Dillon Danis has pulled out of their submission-only main event, set for November 3 at the PalaPellicone, and UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr. has taken the match on short notice. Hype FC CEO Armand Martirosian announced the withdrawal at the event's press conference on Sunday, November 1, Sherdog reported.

Rosas Jr. volunteers from the audience

Rosas Jr. was at the press conference as a spectator. According to MMA Mania, a Hype Fighting organizer told the room: "Unfortunately, Dillon Danis could not come. If there's someone who wants to wrestle with Colby, we can organize it."

Rosas Jr. answered right away. MMA Mania quoted him as saying, "I'll do it, f--k it. Chiwiwis," before he walked down to face off with Covington. Sherdog quoted the line slightly differently: "Let's do it, f*ck it... Chiwiwis!" The Championship Rounds account on X also reported the switch on November 1.

The weight gap is big. Covington competed at welterweight in the UFC and won the interim title there, while Rosas Jr. fights at bantamweight. Bloody Elbow and MMA Scene describe Rosas Jr. as the No. 8-ranked UFC bantamweight.

Danis withdraws again

The match was meant to be a rematch of Covington's win over Danis at Real American Freestyle (RAF) in March. No reason for Danis' withdrawal has been reported. MMA Mania called it his third withdrawal from a signed bout in under a year:

• He pulled out of a boxing match with Anthony Taylor on a December Misfits card. The official reason was that doctors would not clear him after a brawl in the stands at UFC 322.
• He withdrew from an MMA fight with Mike Perry at a Duel Arena event on August 29. MMA Mania said the circumstances were vague and that Danis shared an image of a cut on his arm.

Danis did compete three times at RAF this year and lost all three matches: to Covington, Khamzat Chimaev and, most recently, Arman Tsarukyan.

Where both men stand

Covington has not fought in MMA since he lost to Joaquin Buckley in December 2024. Sherdog reported that he has since told the UFC he is retiring from MMA. He has stayed busy on the mat instead: Bloody Elbow notes that he holds the RAF cruiserweight crossover championship and has signed with Hype FC for submission-only contests.

Rosas Jr. has won six straight fights. His last win came in September, when he stopped Raoni Barcelos by fifth-round technical knockout in his first UFC main event. He has competed for Hype FC before, in a grappling match with former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo that was ruled a draw. According to Bloody Elbow, he also submitted the brother of Zabit Magomedsharipov at ACBJJ 21.

Busy November for both

The Rome match is a warm-up of sorts for both men's RAF bookings this month. Covington is scheduled to wrestle Khamzat Chimaev at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14. Rosas Jr. makes his RAF debut against UFC Hall of Famer Clay Guida at RAF 15 in Chicago on November 28.