Beneil Dariush loves idea of fighting Charles Oliveira, but wishes it was sooner

Beneil Dariush isn’t opposed to fighting Charles Oliveira, but the timeline doesn’t suit him.

Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC) currently is riding an eight-fight winning streak and has no doubt that the most deserving title contender. But he was passed up when lightweight champion Islam Makhachev opted to chase after the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, this past Saturday at UFC 284.

Makhachev retained his title against Volkanovski, but will be taking some time off to observe Ramadan, which starts at the end of March and lasts 30 days. Dariush hasn’t competed since he beat Mateusz Gamrot this past October at UFC 280 and wants to stay busy. He will get to do that when he faces Oliveira (33-9 MMA, 21-9 UFC) in May, but Dariush was hoping he’d fight a lot sooner to align his schedule with Makhachev’s.

“I get to fight Charles Oliveira, one of the best to ever do it,” Dariush told MMA Junkie Radio. “Sounds good to me. I’m not complaining about it. But as far as who deserves to fight for the title? No one is even close to what I’ve done so far.

“I was hoping to fight Charles, let’s say February-March, so right around this time, and then we could have done July against Makhachev. That was my ideal situation. But then Charles kept pushing it back. It went from March to April, from April to May. So now they’re trying to set us up for May. That’s kind of what ruined it for me. I love the idea of fighting Charles Oliveira – I just wish it was sooner.”

Oliveira also most recently competed at UFC 280 and was submitted by Makhachev in a vacant lightweight title fight. Prior to that, the former champion finished Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in title fights.