Ahead of Bellator 222, MMATorch’s Dylan Bowker spoke to Max Humphrey and Adam Borics, about being the “other guy” facing a touted prospect.
Bellator 222 is going to showcase some big MMA bouts on Friday, June 14th. Both of today’s subjects find themselves in similar positions when they step into the cage at Madison Square Garden. Max Humphrey takes on Jiu Jitsu crossover/ Conor McGregor cohort Dillon Danis. Also, Adam Borics is also taking on the highly touted Aaron Pico.
Borics is no slouch though. Borics is an unbeaten fighter with even more experience than Pico. He gets the benefit of a big name when he fights Aaron and Pico is facing yet another rough customer. Borics said “I think a couple of Hungarian people will come in New York…..to support me. So, I’m so happy for that”.
Adam Borics has been putting in work with names like Michael Chandler, Michael Johnson, and Logan Storley to name a few. He’s not overlooking his opponent but Borics is excited for Bellator’s Featherweight Grand Prix set for later in the year. Borics loves to fight and wishes to compete even more until he becomes a champion.
Bellator 222 brings a mix of familiar faces and potential stars
The aforementioned Max Humphrey remains largely stoic which is a direct contrast to his flamboyant opponent at Bellator 222. Dillon Danis has the largest profile in MMA for someone who has a 1-0 Pro record. Humphrey works security management at the bar on weekends and used to fight in barns when he was on the come up.
It’s a tad surreal for Max to be readying for a prize fight at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” Max stated, “Anybody that’s a fight fan around the entire world has heard of Madison Square Garden.” The bout was postponed from a prior event and it was getting to a point where Humphrey was worried about the fight falling through but it turned out well in his estimation.
Danis is mostly known as a Jiu Jitsu player so the gameplan seems clear. Humphrey has multiple submission wins in his own right and admits having to pull back from indulging a curiosity to take the fight to the floor. Humphrey said “This is everything. This is an MMA fight. Not a Jiu Jitsu match and I’m not planning to make it one”.
The fact that it’s a catchweight has been puzzling and kind of confounding as well.Humphrey said “I think we should have done it at 170….But I don’t make those decisions. I just sign the dotted line”. The 175 lb bout was even supposed to have been at 180 lbs until those preliminary talks shifted a bit.
I mentioned prior that Danis has more of an outlandish, Instagram heavy kind of lifestyle. This is diametrically opposed to the humble, outdoorsman kind of lifestyle that Humphrey enjoys leading. When afforded the time to dust off the fishing line after training camps, of course. Humphrey said “I don’t care about what money you got. What clothes you’re wearing…..I’ve had real life problems where that stuff does not matter”.
Humphrey is dedicated to the game and committed himself to his MMA future by packing up and going to a prolific gym. Max said, “Jackson’s is such a unique gym because of the variety and range…Sold the truck, the trailer, and the motorcycle and got an apartment”.
Borics vs Pico, Danis vs Humphrey, and a myriad of other fights go this Friday, June 14th. Bellator 222 is broadcast exclusively on DAZN. Prelims are set for 6:30 PM ET and the Main Card goes at 10:00 PM ET.
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