Raul Rosas Jr. is set to face Colby Covington at Hype Fighting in Rome on Tuesday, November 3, after Dillon Danis pulled out of the main event just days before the card.
Hype Fighting CEO Armand Martirosian announced the withdrawal at Sunday’s press conference in Rome, according to DAZN, which is streaming the event. Rosas was in the room. When Martirosian called for a replacement, the UFC bantamweight volunteered.
“Unfortunately, Dillon Danis could not come,” a Hype Fighting organizer told the room, as reported by MMA Mania. No official reason for the pullout has been given.
The bout is a 10-minute, submission-only grappling match at PalaPellicone. The rest of the card mixes in bare-knuckle boxing and dirty boxing.
Danis Exits Again
Hype Fighting first announced Covington vs. Danis in October as a submission-only rematch. Covington defeated Danis by 14-4 technical fall at RAF 7 in March, so the Rome booking was pitched as Danis’ chance to win under a different ruleset.
Danis lost a 10-0 technical fall to Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 14 last month, a result Jon Jones mocked on Instagram after RAF 14, and this is his third withdrawal from a signed bout in under a year.
A Big Ask On Short Notice
Covington is a former interim UFC welterweight champion, and Rosas competes at bantamweight. He does have grappling experience under this banner. Rosas went the full 10 minutes with former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at a previous Hype FC event, a match ruled a draw.
In MMA, the 22-year-old has won six straight, most recently stopping Raoni Barcelos in the fifth round of a UFC main event in September. Barcelos was later released from the hospital after that frightening finish.
Both men are booked again before the month is out. Covington, who hasn’t fought in MMA since a December 2024 loss to Joaquin Buckley, defends his RAF cruiserweight crossover title against Khamzat Chimaev at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14. Rosas makes his RAF debut against Clay Guida on Nov. 28 at NOW Arena near Chicago, on the same card as Arman Tsarukyan’s RAF 15 title defense.
