Beneil Dariush wants his fight with Charles Oliveira rebooked.
The pair were set to face each other in a ranked lightweight bout on October 3 with Dariush taking the fight on short notice. However, Oliveira had to withdraw later on for undisclosed reasons.
The American, though, is still hoping to fight Oliveira and believes he deserves a big opponent in the rankings as he currently rides a five-fight winning streak.
“I think it’s the fight that makes the most sense,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “We were supposed to fight Oct. 3. I took the fight on short notice. I believe Islam (Makhachev) had to pull out for some reason, and I took the fight on short notice, and I said, ‘OK if that’s the case, I’ll fight him.’ And something happened with him.
“I heard it was either personal problems or family problems. I’m not sure what it exactly was, but I understand. I’m not blaming him for pulling out of the fight, so I understand he had those, but coming back, I think it makes most sense to fight me.”
Oliveira, himself, is on a seven-fight winning streak and has been looking to enter title contention especially with Khabib Nurmagomedov retiring from the sport.
However, Dariush — ranked No. 11 while Oliveira is No. 6 — believes nothing has changed with Nurmagomedov’s retirement.
“He signed to fight me. I signed, so coming back, nothing’s really changed, so why not get that done?” Dariush added. “The only thing that’s different is that there’s no champion, but I don’t understand how that would change the dynamics of it, so I think the fight that makes most sense is for him to fight me and then go from there.”
One thing is for sure — it’s certainly one heck of a fight.
Dariush is coming off a first-round knockout win over Scott Holtzman in August. Oliveira, meanwhile, last competed in March when he submitted former title challenger Kevin Lee.
Who do you have winning in this potential matchup?
Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush has announced his eagerly anticipated fight against #6 ranked Charles Oliveira is off and he is currently exploring other options with his management and the UFC. AG Fight first reported the news of a fight between Dariush and Oliveira a few weeks ago. The bout was later verified by MMA Junkie. The fight […]
Surging lightweight contenders Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush are set to square off on October 3. AG Fight first reported the news which was later verified by MMA Junkie. The fight has not yet been officially announced but is expected to take place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Oliveira is currently riding a seven-fight […]
Beneil Dariush earned another huge knockout win. Dariush took on Scott Holtzman in the UFC Vegas 6 main card opener and outclassed his opponent on the feet with a number of huge strikes. Holtzman displayed an iron chin but it wasn’t enough when Dariush was able to land a spinning backfist that dropped him. Referee […]
Kicking off the UFC Vegas 6 main card is a catchweight bout between Beneil Dariush and Scott Holtzman. Round 1: Dariush lands a huge body kick after the pair swing early on. The fight is stopped after an accidental eyepoke on Dariush. The fight resumes. Dariush lands a jab and Holtzman returns with a leg […]
Beneil Dariush made a statement on Saturday night. Taking on Drakkar Klose in a lightweight bout on the main card of UFC 248 in Las Vegas, Dariush had a good first round where he threatened with the submission. Klose managed to survive and looked to have the upper hand in the second round as Dariush […]