Beneil Dariush hopes he hasn’t lost out on the opportunity to move up the ultra competitive lightweight rankings.
Dariush (19-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) was scheduled to meet Charles Oliveira on Oct. 3, but Oliveira (29-8 MMA, 17-8 UFC) ended up withdrawing. Currently riding a five-fight winning streak, Dariush thinks he’s due for a big fight and, since both streaking lightweights were scheduled to clash, he thinks the fight should be rebooked.
“I think it’s the fight that makes the most sense,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “We were supposed to fight Oct. 3. I took the fight on short notice. I believe Islam (Makhachev) had to pull out for some reason, and I took the fight on short notice, and I said, ‘OK if that’s the case, I’ll fight him.’ And something happened with him. I heard it was either personal problems or family problems. I’m not sure what it exactly was, but I understand. I’m not blaming him for pulling out of the fight, so I understand he had those, but coming back, I think it makes most sense to fight me.”
With UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announcing his retirement (although it might not last), the top contenders in the division are all vying for the top spot. But, despite the 155-pound division now looking wide open, Dariush doesn’t think the change should directly impact his booking with Oliveira.
“He signed to fight me. I signed, so coming back, nothing’s really changed, so why not get that done?” Dariush added. “The only thing that’s different is that there’s no champion, but I don’t understand how that would change the dynamics of it, so I think the fight that makes most sense is for him to fight me and then go from there.”
Beneil Dariush wants Charles Oliveira fight rebooked: ‘It’s the fight that makes the most sense’