Beneil Dariush opts against surgery, targets Islam Makhachev rebooking in summer

Beneil Dariush won’t undergo surgery for his leg.

Dariush, who broke his fibula and injured his ankle, was forced to withdraw from his UFC Fight Night 202 headliner against Islam Makhachev. Replacing him on short notice was Bobby Green, whom Makhachev TKO’d in the first round.

After consulting with doctors, Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC) received the good news that his recovery time will be shorter than he initially anticipated.

“The physical therapy comes in for the ankle,” Dariush told ESPN. “The ankle right now is going to get weaker and it’s going to get lazy. And also certain ways you sleep and things you do, it’s going to get tighter. So the ankle goes downhill. The physical therapy is really just to keep the ankle healthy and if the ankle’s healthy, I should be able to be 100 percent – six to eight weeks is what they’re saying.

“At first, they were talking four months just to start training again. So when I heard six to eight weeks, I almost started crying.”

Makhachev (22-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) was gearing up for a title shot by fall. But when Rafael dos Anjos lost his opponent for Saturday’s UFC 272 co-main event, Makhachev offered to step in and the promotion was all for it.

UFC president Dana White was under the impression that dos Anjos vs. Makhachev was a done deal, but revealed that Makhachev ended up turning down the fight. As a result, White now wants to rebook Makhachev against Dariush, much to Dariush’s delight.

“I really want to see this fight, too,” Dariush said. “So I got so stoked. Yes, thank God, we’re going to get rescheduled. I feel bad for Islam. I’m sure he’s not very happy about the situation, but this is the ideal situation for me to get this fight rebooked.

“I’d like to have another 10 weeks for this camp, if possible. But if it’s shorter, it’s shorter. But that would be ideal. June, July – those are good dates.”