Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates to Fight Content Creator ‘Elf’ in Beverly Hills Bout

Dan Cates a.k.a. ‘Jungleman’ has never backed down from a challenge in his life and his poker career has been the beneficiary of that raw aggression and mathematical prowess. On January 22, Jungle will hope to take down his opponent in a very different arena as he laces up his boxing gloves and dons knee pads in an MMA fight against the former Hustler Casino Live player ‘Elf’ in a kickboxing bout at the Beverly Hills Fight Club in Southern California.

A Controversial Character

Jungleman is without a doubt one of poker’s most enigmatic characters. From winning back-to-back WSOP Poker Players Championships at the early part of this decade to beating all comers in the highest stakes poker matches out there, Jungleman is raw talent made flesh. That flesh is to be tested later this month when, on January 22, he’ll put on boxing gloves and attempt to win an International Kickboxing Federation bout against content creator and self-style sports betting legend ‘Elf’.

Last year, Jungleman won over $15m in a series of heads-up cash games between him and Ossi ‘Monarch’ Ketola. The Finnish player simply didn’t know what hit him at the poker felt, a feeling Jungle will hope to impress upon his opponent in the MMA bout, ‘Elf’. The content creator took to X last night to talk up his own chances of victory, claiming that the match will “be a bloodbath” in his favor.

Bloodbaths and poker players don’t go together historically. In fact, while many have swapped poker for pugilism over the years, rarely have they turned into more than three rounds of hugging and jabbing. Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari took on Hollywood actor Kevin Hart in 2019 and promptly destroyed the pocket-sized Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star.

Could Jungleman really beat a boxer who will be 12 years younger than him and taller to boot? It seems – quite literally – like a reach for some observers.

Who is the Early Favorite to Win?

Jungleman’s fellow poker pro Rob Kuhn does not think that his fellow at-the-felt player can win this war, saying that he believes Elf to be “the stone lock of the century” to take down the Game of Gold legend. This seems dismissive of Jungleman’s ability to mix up his game and knuckle down to any challenge he faces.

From high stakes cash games to new format televised poker shows, Jungleman has been a journeyman of self-discovery over the years. Frequently mixing it in mixed games, winning the Poker Players Championship in back-to-back years was a stunning pair of results. Getting your name on the Chip Reese trophy once is impressive enough, but to retain that title was incredible.

Physically, Jungleman may be the smaller of the two men, but the ‘fight in the dog’ more than makes up for the size of the dog in the fight as the saying goes. Tenacious, determined, driven, if Jungleman sets his sights on something, then he usually gets it. There have been examples of other poker players looking to overcome the odds, although not all of them make kind reading for the smaller man.

In 2016, Sorel Mizzi had the height and reach advantage over Brian Rast. The Poker Hall of Famer Rast was outmatched in the ring and despite displaying an ability to punch and take punches, was unable to get the better of his Canadian opponent. Rast’s $29m in live poker earnings might make up for any sting he felt in losing that bout in the third-round stoppage.

How Much Will Ringside Seats Cost?

If you’re in SoCal at the end of this month, then you might want to pay to get a ringside seat to the madness. If so, you better have a wallet fit to burst with fifties. A corner table at the IKF-approved bout costs an eye-watering $5,000 to book. Seating between 8 and 10 fans, the fight, which could last as little as a couple of rounds, is expensive in the extreme.

When the first bell chimes at 8.30pm local time on January 22^nd, Jungleman will walk forward, to punch or be punched in the head for others entertainment. Can he win? Undoubtedly? But more likely is that he’ll once more demonstrate that his eye for showmanship is at its sharpest when under pressure. In that sense, the American is a diamond in the game of poker, unafraid to go through the necessarily arduous process of refinement in order to make himself shine.

After many years as Phil Hellmuth’s sidekick in WSOP Main Event entrances, the former Game of Gold star and two-time Poker Players Championship winner could beat Elf or be beaten. But like so many of the crazy adventures that seem to follow Jungleman around the globe, when the bell rings in a fortnight’s time in Beverly Hills, it’s all about the ma stepping into the spotlight.

No-one knows what will happen, least of all Jungleman himself. And that is what keeps people tuning into him.