Eddie Hall and Dillon Danis in talks for openweight MMA fight

Former World's Strongest Man Eddie Hall and mixed martial artist Dillon Danis are in preliminary talks for a potential MMA fight after a viral faceoff at Misfits Boxing 22 in Manchester in August, the athletes and multiple sources said. Hall publicly challenged Danis on social media this week and Danis replied, setting off negotiations that organizers and those close to the fighters say remain unresolved on date, location and promotion.

Hall, 37, posted a message on Instagram framing the matchup as a high-profile crossover, calling it "the clash the world never believed would happen." He added that he had agreed to a weight condition to make the fight feasible and told reporters he would lose roughly 64 pounds in 12 weeks to meet a proposed limit of 299 pounds. Danis, who weighed about 170 pounds for his recent appearance, responded on social media by saying he would accept the bout and quipped that he would "literally suplex him over the ropes," highlighting the extraordinary size gap between the two men.

Those close to negotiations say talks are serious but incomplete. No commission has approved the bout and no contract has been finalized. Promoters face two practical hurdles:...