Beneil Dariush liked what he saw on Saturday night, but perhaps not in the way most did.
Fight fans got spoiled at with UFC 284, as Islam Makhachev collided with Alexander Volkanovski in a champion vs. champion superfight that left fans wanting to see more. Volkanovski, who moved up to 155 pounds in hopes of becoming a two-division UFC champion, gave Makhachev his toughest battle, taking him to a decision, which Makhachev won.
Despite the victory, it was a closely contested bout that left many thinking Makhachev lost. Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC), who’s hoping to fight for the UFC lightweight title, very much enjoyed some of the things that were brought to light.
“You start to see holes in their games that might not even be there,” Dariush told MMA Junkie Radio. “You’re only seeing these holes because these inhuman men are colliding, these great fighters colliding, so you start to see these things.
“I thought it was a great fight from both perspectives. Volkanovski just confirmed my beliefs because I didn’t really have any tape on him besides the Tsarukyan fight, but Volkanovski was able to confirm my beliefs on what I thought his game was lacking and what exactly I could take advantage of.”
But it went both ways. Although Dariush is not planning to drop to featherweight and challenge for a belt there, he also picked up on some things Volksnovski was doing.
“What did surprise me, and what I saw, was that Volkanovski carried his chin a lot higher than what I expected,” Dariush said. “He carried his chin high when he finished a lot of these combos. So I saw some new things in Volkanovski’s game that I didn’t see in other fights. So that’s what I saw.”
The Makhachev vs. Volkanovski bout was also important from the pound-for-pound standpoint. It was No. 2 facing No. 1 on the UFC’s official rankings.
Dariush believes he’s actually No. 1, but just hasn’t had the chance to prove it.
“I thought they were both great,” Dariush said. “An unstoppable force meets an unmovable object, it felt like that. These are very good fighters. Some might say No. 1 and No. 2. The only reason I don’t say that because I believe I’m the best in the world. So they’re some of the best fighters coming at each other.”
Beneil Dariush: Alexander Volkanovski ‘confirmed my beliefs’ on Islam Makhachev’s shortcomings