Ahead of UFC 262, Beneil Dariush has prepared himself for a championship fight.
Dariush (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC), who meets Tony Ferguson on the same night as the vacant lightweight title main event between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira on May 15 in Houston, is ready to jump in if either of the headliners are forced out.
The streaking Dariush thinks he’s the leading candidate to serve as a backup for the title fight, even above former interim champ Ferguson (25-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC).
“I’ve been training for five rounds,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “Just in case, I’ve been training for five rounds for sure because if you think about it logically, Tony is coming off of two losses, so it’s gonna be hard to give him the title shot, and I’m on a six-fight winning streak, so they can toss me in there if one of them falls out. So I’ve been training for five rounds, and I am ready for five rounds.”
He continued, “Obviously I don’t wish anyone harm. I hope the title fight happens, and I’m gonna get it. Eventually, everybody’s gonna get it. I’m gonna get after all of them. They can’t get away from me.”
Though Ferguson is on a two-fight losing skid, Dariush knows not to underestimate the former interim champion. Dariush is wary of Ferguson’s unpredictability and while he’s proven that he’s willing to brawl, he’ll try not to get lured into one.
“The awkwardness of Tony cannot be replicated,” Dariush said. “So I’ve just been focusing on fundamentals, fundamentals and fundamentals. If I could just stay clear with my fundamentals, I’m hoping everything is gonna be fine. But the more I watch him, the more I think to myself, there isn’t really one thing I could train for that he does consistently, so I’m just ready to get in there and mix it up.
“If things get crazy, you just have to be ready to get crazy with him. You can’t be scared to play his game. If you have to, you gotta do that. But ultimately you want to bring him back into your own territory and don’t allow him to control the rhythm.”
Right after Dariush competes, a new lightweight champion will be crowned. Dariush initially was leaning toward former three-time Bellator champion Chandler to get he job done, but ultimately thinks Oliveira will finish him.
“Early on I was leaning toward Chandler because he has more experience in five rounds,” Dariush said. “But watching Oliveira lately, I think he has matured a lot, so I’m leaning toward him a little bit more. So I think Oliveira is gonna pull it off, and it’s gonna be a finish.”
Beneil Dariush ready to serve as UFC 262 title fight backup: ‘I’ve been training for five rounds’
