Beneil Dariush wants to test himself against the very best.
It’s been a long road to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight gold for the Urmia, Iran native. Dariush entered the promotion in Jan. 2014, becoming the divisional darkhorse in no time, submitting veteran, Charlie Brenneman, with a rear-naked choke submission just under two minutes into the contest. He’s been a 155-pound staple ever since.
Currently riding an impressive eight-fight winning streak, Dariush had a certain expectation of who he’d challenge when getting his first crack at the title. In a perfect world, he’ll still get to fight his dream opponent despite their retirement nearly three years ago.
“Ideally it would be Khabib [Nurmagomedov], right?” Dariush told The AllStar. “He’s the best lightweight in the world. Ideally, after beating Charles [Oliveira] and [Islam] Makhachev, I would have an opportunity to fight him, but obviously, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
“He’s the Lightweight G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time),” he continued. “But guys like ‘GSP’ (Georges St-Pierre) were the reason why I got into MMA. I would have loved to have fought him.”
Nurmagomedov called it a career after amassing a perfect 29-fight unbeaten streak, defeating Justin Gaethje via a first-round triangle choke submission in Oct. 2020. “The Eagle” stuck around mixed martial arts (MMA) for a while, coaching and running Eagle Fighting Championship as the president. He’s since taken a step back from the sport he grew his name in, however.
Dariush’s next pair of potential fights will undeniably be the stiffest tests of his 14-year career. At UFC 289 on June 10, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Dariush will have to get through the aforementioned former titlist, Oliveira, to secure his long-desired opportunity at gold against the current champion, Makhachev.
Originally, the top Lightweight contenders were booked to finally square off at UFC 288 earlier this month (May 6, 2023). Unfortunately, Oliveira suffered an injury, delaying the bout one month.
“I pull back. I have to take it easier in my training,” Dariush said of his adjustments. “Overall, I’ve been spending more time with my family because I can’t be in a fight camp for 20 weeks going hard. That’s how injuries happen.
“I don’t want to fight emotional so obviously it’s bothering me,” he continued. “I just have to stay disciplined and do what I need to do in order to be victorious.”
