Beneil Dariush still expects Charles Oliveira to struggle against Islam Makhachev.
Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) stopped Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) by Round 1 TKO this past Saturday at UFC 289, rebounding from his lopsided submission loss to Makhachev at UFC 280.
By snapping Dariush’s win streak, Oliveira emerged as a title contender and could run things back with lightweight champion Makhachev (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC) at UFC 294 on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi.
“It’s a tough fight for Charles, to be honest with you,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “Because when I grabbed him, in terms of wrestling, he tried something that I was like, ‘Why would you do that?’ He tried so hard to lift and finish the takedown, he put himself on his back and ended up like pulling guard. So, in terms of grappling and wrestling specifically, I still see too many holes in his game.”
Oliveira was able to avoid heavy damage from Dariush on the ground and stunned him on the feet for the finish. But against Makhachev, Oliveira wasn’t able to mount any offense, and Dariush just sees Makhachev as a bad matchup.
“In terms of striking, man, I honestly didn’t get a good feel for him,” Dariush added. “I felt a little bit of his speed, a little bit of his timing. I agree with you guys: He does have a good amount of power, but like, obviously I think he’s going to do better than last time. Let me put it that way: I think he’s going to do much better than last time, but I still think it’s going to be a hard fight for him against Makhachev.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 289.