Beneil Dariush is not afraid to tangle with Islam Makhachev on the ground if necessary.
Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC) meets Makhachev (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in a pivotal top contenders clash in the main event of the UFC’s “Fight Night” card Feb. 26.
A skilled grappler himself, Dariush won’t necessarily pivot from what has brought him so much success inside the octagon just because Makhachev is a ground specialist.
“I don’t really think too much about Islam – I think about me,” Dariush told RT Sport. “What do I do in my fights? I’m a grappler, obviously, so I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh, he’s a grappler – I can’t grapple.’ Of course I’m going to try and grapple. I know how to strike, so of course I’m going to use my striking. I’m not a person where I feel like, ‘Oh, I have to do this in order to win the fight.’ I feel comfortable everywhere. So if I want to wrestle, I’ll wrestle. If I want to strike, I’ll strike. If I want to counter, I’ll counter. I can do all things, so I’m not worried about it.
“A lot of people say we mirror each other because we’re both southpaw. We’re almost the same height – I think he’s a little bit taller than me – and if I don’t get too crazy, I try to be also very methodical. So there’s differently a mirror there.”
Like retired former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, no one has had an answer for Makhachev’s dominant grappling, which has left many thinking that he is destined to follow in his mentor’s footsteps.
When asked to compare the two, Dariush said Makhachev’s setup for a takedown differs from Nurmagomedov’s.
“Khabib is orthodox, obviously,” Dariush said. “And Khabib – he creates chaos, and in that chaos he finds the takedown. And once he finds the takedown, he puts a lot of pressure with his ground and pound. If you look at Islam, he is a little bit more methodical, more patient. He finds his distance with his striking, and the better his distance is set up, the more he starts to engage in the grappling. But he always makes sure he finds his range first. So a little bit different with the two, but even though Khabib fought inside chaos, he fought very safe. He knew how to create chaos but stay out of danger.”
Beneil Dariush won’t shy away from Islam Makhachev’s ground game
