One of the most decorated jiu-jitsu champions in the history of the sport temporarily separated himself from two of his star pupils on Thursday. Marcelo Garcia, a five-time world jiu-jitsu champion and famed coach, announced via a YouTube video on his personal channel that he’s parted ways, for now, with his own black belt students Dillon Danis and Mansher Khera.
“I don't kick people out. I really don't want to do that,” Garcia said in the video. “I told them to take some time off, figure [it] out. One day if they have a better thought, they come here and I'll be here and we'll talk.”
Danis did not respond to a request to comment made by MMA Fighting.
The specific incidents that led to Garcia’s decision are unclear. Danis and Khera were recently seen together publicly in Chicago cageside for Bellator 176.
Danis and Khera were part of Garcia’s brown belt ‘dream team’ that wrecked havoc on jiu-jitsu tournaments around the world from 2013 to 2015. Danis eventually won the Pan-American and World championships as a brown belt before being promoted to black in 2015 at just 21 years of age. Danis is expected to face former UFC welterweight contender Jake Shields at Submission Underground 4 on May 14th.
Khera is the first person to go from white to black belt entirely under Garcia and the winner of multiple top tournaments as a brown belt.
Danis began working with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor following his UFC 196 loss to Nate Diaz. McGregor had Danis help train and corner him for the rematch at UFC 202 in August of 2016. While no debut bout has been announced, Danis, who has no professional MMA experience, signed a MMA contract with Bellator MMA in March.