Surging UFC lightweight challenger, Beneil Dariush has been continually linked with a title-eliminator opposite former division champion, Charles Oliveira in the duo’s respective next Octagon walks. And the Iran-born contender expects a “crazy fight” before eventually finishing the Brazilian.
Dariush, the current #4 ranked lightweight contender, has enjoyed an impressive run of eight consecutive victories ahead of his 2023 return, most recently defeating former KSW two-weight champion, Matuesz Gamrot, in a unanimous decision victory last October in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
At the same UFC 280 event on ‘Fight Island’, Oliveira seen his division-best run of 12 straight wins come to a halt as he suffered a second round arm-triangle submission loss to Islam Makhachev in the pair’s vacant title fight in the night’s headliner.
Linked with an Octagon return as soon as April or May this year, the Sao Paulo native’s manager and head coach, Diego Lima confirmed recently how Oliveira had been teed up to fight Dariush on May 6. at UFC 288, however, the pairing has yet to be officially booked by the organization.
Beneil Dariush predicts finish over Charles Oliveira at UFC 288
Sharing his thoughts on his expected pairing with Oliveira in May, Dariush, a staple of Kings MMA under Rafael Cordeiro, claimed he would finish the Brazilian inside a couple of rounds.
“They (the UFC) already set me up with Charles (Oliveira),” Beneil Dariush told Submission Radio during a recent interview. “They’re talking about contracts. We’re just trying to work out the contract right now, and then go forward from there.”
“I’m gonna get a finish either in the first or the second round,” Beneil Dariush predicted. “That’s how I think in my mind. I’m going to just be who I am. And then when he (Oliveira) gets excited, I’ll get excited, and then it’ll turn into a crazy fight like everybody’s talking about. But in reality, I’m just preparing for a three round war with him. And I need to be ready for all the positions that I can get into, and all the dangers he could put me in those positions.”