On paper, it would make sense to have the winner of the Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor rubber match, which goes down at UFC 264 this July in Las Vegas, fight Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title at some point later this year.
But as No. 3-ranked title contender Beneil Dariush pointed out, negotiating with “The Diamond” or “Notorious” can be a daunting task, and the winner of that fight (barring a draw) will have to emerge unscathed and ready to compete.
In addition, Oliveira may have an unpaid debt when it comes to Dariush.
“I think Charles actually owes me a fight,” Dariush told MMA Fighting. “I stepped up to fight him on short notice, right after I had fought Scott [Holtzman] when I was supposed to go on vacation. Sean [Shelby] called me a day after my fight and said ‘hey, do you want to fight Charles in five weeks?’ I think, and I said yeah, let’s do it.”
Oliveira withdrew from their UFC Fight Island 4 matchup last October in Abu Dhabi, only to be paired against Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 just a few weeks later. “Do Bronx” shut down “El Cucuy” across all three rounds to earn his shot at the title.
Which he won by smashing Michael Chandler.
“I think Charles owes me a fight, too, if you think about it,” Dariush continued. “He said he had family issues. He pulled out of my fight. He called out Tony [Ferguson] while he avoided me, got the fight he wanted and then fought for the belt. I’m not knocking him. He did his thing. He got his title shot. He got the title. Now, just own up to the person you were supposed to fight.”
Oliveira has yet to comment.