Beneil Dariush is hoping to re-book his previously canceled matchup with fellow lightweight contender Islam Makhachev after deciding to skip surgery for a broken fibula.
After winning his last seven trips to the Octagon — including a recent decision win over Tony Ferguson — Dariush was lined up to fight Makhachev last month at UFC Vegas 49. Unfortunately, Dariush injured his leg during training and was forced to withdraw from the main event clash. Bobby Green ended up filling in on super short notice and Makhachev handily defeated him via first-round TKO (see it HERE).
Dariush initially believed he may need surgery to repair his broken fibula that would have sidelined him for four months, but now he’s being told that a steady dose of physical therapy should allow him to return to training in just 6-8 weeks.
“The physical therapy comes in for the ankle,” Dariush told ESPN earlier this week. “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. The ankle goes downhill. The physical therapy is really just to keep the ankle healthy and if the ankle is healthy, I should be able to be 100 percent [in] six to eight weeks is what they’re saying.
“At first, they were talking four months just to start training again,” continued Dariush. “So when I heard six to eight weeks, I almost started crying again. Man, it was a rough week for me.”
Luckily, Dariush is still lined up to fight Makhachev when he makes his return to the Octagon. Makhachev pushed his current win streak to 10 with his win over Green, but after denying to step in on short notice and fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 272 this weekend the Russian contender was thrown in the company doghouse. UFC president Dana White revealed that Makhachev would not be getting the next lightweight title shot and that the promotion is hoping to re-book his fight with Dariush sometime in the near future.
According to Dariush’s recent update the matchup has a chance of going down sometime this summer.
“I really want to see this fight, too,” said Dariush. “I got so stoked. I was like, ‘Yes! Thank God, we’re going to be rescheduled’. I mean, I feel bad for Islam. I’m sure he’s not very happy about the situation, but this is the ideal situation for me where I 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. We’ll see.”
What do you think, fight fans? Is Dariush vs. Makhachev the fight to make? Or should UFC reward Makhachev with his title shot?
Let’s hear it in the comments below!