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UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has revealed which high-ranked contender the promotion named as a desired next opponent for him.
At UFC 280 last October, Dariush put in one of the standout performances of the entire Abu Dhabi-held pay-per-view, outpointing rising Polish 155lber Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds.
But while the result left many calling for the Iranian-born American to face the victor of the night’s main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski was close by to stake his claim for a shot at champ-champ status soon after.
And with the Australian’s wish set to be granted when he makes the walk to face lightweight champ Makhachev next month in Perth, Dariush has found himself in a spot of uncertainty that is becoming all too familiar to him.
While there was brief talk of the 33-year-old colliding with former interim champion and #2-ranked contender Dustin Poirier, that appeared to dissipate as an option after “The Diamond” dismissed the matchup.
With that, Dariush is still on the search for an opponent who could become the ninth victim of his active winning streak and help net him a long-awaited championship opportunity. And according to the man himself, the UFC higher-ups know who they want him to face.
UFC Lines Up Former Champion For Dariush
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his plans for 2023, once again insisting that he’s not willing to wait around for a title shot that might not even be guaranteed.
That’s seemingly something he told UFC President Dana White during a recent meeting. With that in mind, the fact that the promotion had an opponent in mind was no doubt music to Dariush’s ears.
“So, I met with Dana. Dana’s cool. It was my first meeting with him, an actual one-on-one sit-down, in the nine years that I’ve been in the UFC. Dana’s cool, easy guy to talk to,” Dariush said. “We went over stuff and it seemed like they wanted me to fight Charles Oliveira. I was like, ‘Great, let’s do it. That sounds good.'”
However, Dariush noted that he’s yet to hear any more discourse surrounding the matchup, and with his desired return timeframe rapidly approaching, he’s unsure whether or not the booking remains on the table.
“The timetable I gave them was February, March is ideal for me…. But to be honest with you, I haven’t heard anything back since. So, I’m assuming maybe the other party hasn’t really stepped up. I’m not sure,” Dariush pondered “Kind of stuck in limbo right now, as usual… Sounded great to me at the time, but still haven’t heard anything. I’ve heard he wants to take some time off, is what he wrote.”
Oliveira most recently had a double-digit winning run ended at the hands of Makhachev, who submitted the Brazilian comfortably inside the Etihad Arena. Despite there being an event set for his home country this month, Oliveira announced his intention to take a longer break from action entering 2023.
Given his unwillingness to sit out and wait for an opportunity at the championship, it seems unlikely that Dariush will hold too much patience when it comes to a date in the cage opposite “Do Bronx.”
Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
How do you think a fight between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira would play out?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has revealed which high-ranked contender the promotion named as a desired next opponent for him.
At UFC 280 last October, Dariush put in one of the standout performances of the entire Abu Dhabi-held pay-per-view, outpointing rising Polish 155lber Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds.
But while the result left many calling for the Iranian-born American to face the victor of the night’s main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski was close by to stake his claim for a shot at champ-champ status soon after.
And with the Australian’s wish set to be granted when he makes the walk to face lightweight champ Makhachev next month in Perth, Dariush has found himself in a spot of uncertainty that is becoming all too familiar to him.
While there was brief talk of the 33-year-old colliding with former interim champion and #2-ranked contender Dustin Poirier, that appeared to dissipate as an option after “The Diamond” dismissed the matchup.
With that, Dariush is still on the search for an opponent who could become the ninth victim of his active winning streak and help net him a long-awaited championship opportunity. And according to the man himself, the UFC higher-ups know who they want him to face.
UFC Lines Up Former Champion For Dariush
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his plans for 2023, once again insisting that he’s not willing to wait around for a title shot that might not even be guaranteed.
That’s seemingly something he told UFC President Dana White during a recent meeting. With that in mind, the fact that the promotion had an opponent in mind was no doubt music to Dariush’s ears.
“So, I met with Dana. Dana’s cool. It was my first meeting with him, an actual one-on-one sit-down, in the nine years that I’ve been in the UFC. Dana’s cool, easy guy to talk to,” Dariush said. “We went over stuff and it seemed like they wanted me to fight Charles Oliveira. I was like, ‘Great, let’s do it. That sounds good.'”
However, Dariush noted that he’s yet to hear any more discourse surrounding the matchup, and with his desired return timeframe rapidly approaching, he’s unsure whether or not the booking remains on the table.
“The timetable I gave them was February, March is ideal for me…. But to be honest with you, I haven’t heard anything back since. So, I’m assuming maybe the other party hasn’t really stepped up. I’m not sure,” Dariush pondered “Kind of stuck in limbo right now, as usual… Sounded great to me at the time, but still haven’t heard anything. I’ve heard he wants to take some time off, is what he wrote.”
Oliveira most recently had a double-digit winning run ended at the hands of Makhachev, who submitted the Brazilian comfortably inside the Etihad Arena. Despite there being an event set for his home country this month, Oliveira announced his intention to take a longer break from action entering 2023.
Given his unwillingness to sit out and wait for an opportunity at the championship, it seems unlikely that Dariush will hold too much patience when it comes to a date in the cage opposite “Do Bronx.”
Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
How do you think a fight between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira would play out?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
At UFC 280 last October, Dariush put in one of the standout performances of the entire Abu Dhabi-held pay-per-view, outpointing rising Polish 155lber Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds.
But while the result left many calling for the Iranian-born American to face the victor of the night’s main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski was close by to stake his claim for a shot at champ-champ status soon after.
And with the Australian’s wish set to be granted when he makes the walk to face lightweight champ Makhachev next month in Perth, Dariush has found himself in a spot of uncertainty that is becoming all too familiar to him.
While there was brief talk of the 33-year-old colliding with former interim champion and #2-ranked contender Dustin Poirier, that appeared to dissipate as an option after “The Diamond” dismissed the matchup.
With that, Dariush is still on the search for an opponent who could become the ninth victim of his active winning streak and help net him a long-awaited championship opportunity. And according to the man himself, the UFC higher-ups know who they want him to face.
UFC Lines Up Former Champion For Dariush
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his plans for 2023, once again insisting that he’s not willing to wait around for a title shot that might not even be guaranteed.
That’s seemingly something he told UFC President Dana White during a recent meeting. With that in mind, the fact that the promotion had an opponent in mind was no doubt music to Dariush’s ears.
“So, I met with Dana. Dana’s cool. It was my first meeting with him, an actual one-on-one sit-down, in the nine years that I’ve been in the UFC. Dana’s cool, easy guy to talk to,” Dariush said. “We went over stuff and it seemed like they wanted me to fight Charles Oliveira. I was like, ‘Great, let’s do it. That sounds good.'”
However, Dariush noted that he’s yet to hear any more discourse surrounding the matchup, and with his desired return timeframe rapidly approaching, he’s unsure whether or not the booking remains on the table.
“The timetable I gave them was February, March is ideal for me…. But to be honest with you, I haven’t heard anything back since. So, I’m assuming maybe the other party hasn’t really stepped up. I’m not sure,” Dariush pondered “Kind of stuck in limbo right now, as usual… Sounded great to me at the time, but still haven’t heard anything. I’ve heard he wants to take some time off, is what he wrote.”
Oliveira most recently had a double-digit winning run ended at the hands of Makhachev, who submitted the Brazilian comfortably inside the Etihad Arena. Despite there being an event set for his home country this month, Oliveira announced his intention to take a longer break from action entering 2023.
Given his unwillingness to sit out and wait for an opportunity at the championship, it seems unlikely that Dariush will hold too much patience when it comes to a date in the cage opposite “Do Bronx.”
Image Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
How do you think a fight between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira would play out?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has revealed which high-ranked contender the promotion named as a desired next opponent for him.
At UFC 280 last October, Dariush put in one of the standout performances of the entire Abu Dhabi-held pay-per-view, outpointing rising Polish 155lber Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds.
But while the result left many calling for the Iranian-born American to face the victor of the night’s main event between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski was close by to stake his claim for a shot at champ-champ status soon after.
And with the Australian’s wish set to be granted when he makes the walk to face lightweight champ Makhachev next month in Perth, Dariush has found himself in a spot of uncertainty that is becoming all too familiar to him.
While there was brief talk of the 33-year-old colliding with former interim champion and #2-ranked contender Dustin Poirier, that appeared to dissipate as an option after “The Diamond” dismissed the matchup.
With that, Dariush is still on the search for an opponent who could become the ninth victim of his active winning streak and help net him a long-awaited championship opportunity. And according to the man himself, the UFC higher-ups know who they want him to face.
UFC Lines Up Former Champion For Dariush
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his plans for 2023, once again insisting that he’s not willing to wait around for a title shot that might not even be guaranteed.
That’s seemingly something he told UFC President Dana White during a recent meeting. With that in mind, the fact that the promotion had an opponent in mind was no doubt music to Dariush’s ears.
“So, I met with Dana. Dana’s cool. It was my first meeting with him, an actual one-on-one sit-down, in the nine years that I’ve been in the UFC. Dana’s cool, easy guy to talk to,” Dariush said. “We went over stuff and it seemed like they wanted me to fight Charles Oliveira. I was like, ‘Great, let’s do it. That sounds good.'”
However, Dariush noted that he’s yet to hear any more discourse surrounding the matchup, and with his desired return timeframe rapidly approaching, he’s unsure whether or not the booking remains on the table.
“The timetable I gave them was February, March is ideal for me…. But to be honest with you, I haven’t heard anything back since. So, I’m assuming maybe the other party hasn’t really stepped up. I’m not sure,” Dariush pondered “Kind of stuck in limbo right now, as usual… Sounded great to me at the time, but still haven’t heard anything. I’ve heard he wants to take some time off, is what he wrote.”
Oliveira most recently had a double-digit winning run ended at the hands of Makhachev, who submitted the Brazilian comfortably inside the Etihad Arena. Despite there being an event set for his home country this month, Oliveira announced his intention to take a longer break from action entering 2023.
Given his unwillingness to sit out and wait for an opportunity at the championship, it seems unlikely that Dariush will hold too much patience when it comes to a date in the cage opposite “Do Bronx.”
How do you think a fight between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira would play out?
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
