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UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush wants some more context behind why former interim champion Dustin Poirier isn’t interested in facing him.
Dariush has entered the year inside the divisional top five and riding one of the lengthiest active winning streaks at 155 pounds. The Iranian-born American has been unbeaten since a 2018 knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez, defeating the likes of Drew Dober, Carlos Diego Ferreira, and Tony Ferguson en route to an eight-fight string of victories.
In his most recent outing, Dariush delivered perhaps his best display yet, outpointing the highly touted Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds at UFC 280 last October.
While for many, the result ensured that Dariush has done enough to deserve a long-awaited shot at the title, the crowning of Islam Makhachev later in the night set up a champion vs. champion showdown between the Russian and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
With that, it appears likely that Dariush will see action again before competing with gold on the line, but finding an opponent hasn’t been an easy task. While the name of #2-ranked contender Poirier quickly came up, “The Diamond” wasted little time in shooting the prospect of facing the 33-year-old down.
Now, Dariush wants to know why.
Dariush Comes To Firm Conclusion On Poirier Rejection
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his tricky position on the lightweight ladder.
While he noted that he’d be willing to fight down the rankings against a name like Rafael Fiziev, Dariush insisted that he’s earned an opportunity against a contender occupying one of the top spots.
With that in mind, he pointed to Poirier’s recent rejection, questioning what it is about the matchup that doesn’t appeal to the former interim titleholder. If it’s name value, Dariush thinks Poirier may as well retire.
“I wish he’d be a little bit more clear as to, what is it that doesn’t excite him about me?” Dariush said. “Are my fights not exciting enough? Or is it a skill issue? Or is it just because I don’t have the name? Because if it’s just because of the name, he should really consider — and I say this as nicely as possible, I’m not trying to be a d***, but he should really consider retiring. Because if you’re going to look for the names, if you’re going to look to fight only guys that the name will get you, bro, there’s dogs coming. There’s dogs, and they’re young and they’re hungry. They’re looking to kill.
“There’s guys out there already and there’s not a whole lot of Michael Chandlers left out there in the division. How many more fights like that can you get? You’re going to have to fight one of these dogs, and currently I’m at the forefront of these guys. So either step up or think about doing something else,” Dariush added. “He seems successful so, if you’re not genuinely — fighting is not a sport you want to be half-hearted about. So if he’s not 100 percent in, he should really reconsider what he’s doing.”
After a second failed bid to become undisputed champion in December 2021, it initially appeared that Poirier had lost motivation to mount another run at the gold. But last November, “The Diamond” rebounded in style by submitting Michael Chandler at UFC 281.
With that, the Louisianan is perhaps another impressive victory away from a chance at redemption. But despite Dariush’s credentials and place inside the top five, he’s not a man Poirier appears willing to battle it out for a title shot against.
What do you make of Beneil Dariush’s take on Dustin Poirier’s current mindset?
Quotes via MMA Fighting.
UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush wants some more context behind why former interim champion Dustin Poirier isn’t interested in facing him.
Dariush has entered the year inside the divisional top five and riding one of the lengthiest active winning streaks at 155 pounds. The Iranian-born American has been unbeaten since a 2018 knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez, defeating the likes of Drew Dober, Carlos Diego Ferreira, and Tony Ferguson en route to an eight-fight string of victories.
In his most recent outing, Dariush delivered perhaps his best display yet, outpointing the highly touted Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds at UFC 280 last October.
While for many, the result ensured that Dariush has done enough to deserve a long-awaited shot at the title, the crowning of Islam Makhachev later in the night set up a champion vs. champion showdown between the Russian and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
With that, it appears likely that Dariush will see action again before competing with gold on the line, but finding an opponent hasn’t been an easy task. While the name of #2-ranked contender Poirier quickly came up, “The Diamond” wasted little time in shooting the prospect of facing the 33-year-old down.
Now, Dariush wants to know why.
Dariush Comes To Firm Conclusion On Poirier Rejection
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his tricky position on the lightweight ladder.
While he noted that he’d be willing to fight down the rankings against a name like Rafael Fiziev, Dariush insisted that he’s earned an opportunity against a contender occupying one of the top spots.
With that in mind, he pointed to Poirier’s recent rejection, questioning what it is about the matchup that doesn’t appeal to the former interim titleholder. If it’s name value, Dariush thinks Poirier may as well retire.
“I wish he’d be a little bit more clear as to, what is it that doesn’t excite him about me?” Dariush said. “Are my fights not exciting enough? Or is it a skill issue? Or is it just because I don’t have the name? Because if it’s just because of the name, he should really consider — and I say this as nicely as possible, I’m not trying to be a d***, but he should really consider retiring. Because if you’re going to look for the names, if you’re going to look to fight only guys that the name will get you, bro, there’s dogs coming. There’s dogs, and they’re young and they’re hungry. They’re looking to kill.
“There’s guys out there already and there’s not a whole lot of Michael Chandlers left out there in the division. How many more fights like that can you get? You’re going to have to fight one of these dogs, and currently I’m at the forefront of these guys. So either step up or think about doing something else,” Dariush added. “He seems successful so, if you’re not genuinely — fighting is not a sport you want to be half-hearted about. So if he’s not 100 percent in, he should really reconsider what he’s doing.”
After a second failed bid to become undisputed champion in December 2021, it initially appeared that Poirier had lost motivation to mount another run at the gold. But last November, “The Diamond” rebounded in style by submitting Michael Chandler at UFC 281.
With that, the Louisianan is perhaps another impressive victory away from a chance at redemption. But despite Dariush’s credentials and place inside the top five, he’s not a man Poirier appears willing to battle it out for a title shot against.
What do you make of Beneil Dariush’s take on Dustin Poirier’s current mindset?
Quotes via MMA Fighting.
Click here to view the article.
Dariush has entered the year inside the divisional top five and riding one of the lengthiest active winning streaks at 155 pounds. The Iranian-born American has been unbeaten since a 2018 knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez, defeating the likes of Drew Dober, Carlos Diego Ferreira, and Tony Ferguson en route to an eight-fight string of victories.
In his most recent outing, Dariush delivered perhaps his best display yet, outpointing the highly touted Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds at UFC 280 last October.
While for many, the result ensured that Dariush has done enough to deserve a long-awaited shot at the title, the crowning of Islam Makhachev later in the night set up a champion vs. champion showdown between the Russian and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
With that, it appears likely that Dariush will see action again before competing with gold on the line, but finding an opponent hasn’t been an easy task. While the name of #2-ranked contender Poirier quickly came up, “The Diamond” wasted little time in shooting the prospect of facing the 33-year-old down.
Now, Dariush wants to know why.
Dariush Comes To Firm Conclusion On Poirier Rejection
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his tricky position on the lightweight ladder.
While he noted that he’d be willing to fight down the rankings against a name like Rafael Fiziev, Dariush insisted that he’s earned an opportunity against a contender occupying one of the top spots.
With that in mind, he pointed to Poirier’s recent rejection, questioning what it is about the matchup that doesn’t appeal to the former interim titleholder. If it’s name value, Dariush thinks Poirier may as well retire.
“I wish he’d be a little bit more clear as to, what is it that doesn’t excite him about me?” Dariush said. “Are my fights not exciting enough? Or is it a skill issue? Or is it just because I don’t have the name? Because if it’s just because of the name, he should really consider — and I say this as nicely as possible, I’m not trying to be a d***, but he should really consider retiring. Because if you’re going to look for the names, if you’re going to look to fight only guys that the name will get you, bro, there’s dogs coming. There’s dogs, and they’re young and they’re hungry. They’re looking to kill.
“There’s guys out there already and there’s not a whole lot of Michael Chandlers left out there in the division. How many more fights like that can you get? You’re going to have to fight one of these dogs, and currently I’m at the forefront of these guys. So either step up or think about doing something else,” Dariush added. “He seems successful so, if you’re not genuinely — fighting is not a sport you want to be half-hearted about. So if he’s not 100 percent in, he should really reconsider what he’s doing.”
After a second failed bid to become undisputed champion in December 2021, it initially appeared that Poirier had lost motivation to mount another run at the gold. But last November, “The Diamond” rebounded in style by submitting Michael Chandler at UFC 281.
With that, the Louisianan is perhaps another impressive victory away from a chance at redemption. But despite Dariush’s credentials and place inside the top five, he’s not a man Poirier appears willing to battle it out for a title shot against.
What do you make of Beneil Dariush’s take on Dustin Poirier’s current mindset?
Quotes via MMA Fighting.
Dariush has entered the year inside the divisional top five and riding one of the lengthiest active winning streaks at 155 pounds. The Iranian-born American has been unbeaten since a 2018 knockout loss to Alexander Hernandez, defeating the likes of Drew Dober, Carlos Diego Ferreira, and Tony Ferguson en route to an eight-fight string of victories.
In his most recent outing, Dariush delivered perhaps his best display yet, outpointing the highly touted Mateusz Gamrot across three rounds at UFC 280 last October.
While for many, the result ensured that Dariush has done enough to deserve a long-awaited shot at the title, the crowning of Islam Makhachev later in the night set up a champion vs. champion showdown between the Russian and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
With that, it appears likely that Dariush will see action again before competing with gold on the line, but finding an opponent hasn’t been an easy task. While the name of #2-ranked contender Poirier quickly came up, “The Diamond” wasted little time in shooting the prospect of facing the 33-year-old down.
Now, Dariush wants to know why.
Dariush Comes To Firm Conclusion On Poirier Rejection
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Dariush discussed his tricky position on the lightweight ladder.
While he noted that he’d be willing to fight down the rankings against a name like Rafael Fiziev, Dariush insisted that he’s earned an opportunity against a contender occupying one of the top spots.
With that in mind, he pointed to Poirier’s recent rejection, questioning what it is about the matchup that doesn’t appeal to the former interim titleholder. If it’s name value, Dariush thinks Poirier may as well retire.
“I wish he’d be a little bit more clear as to, what is it that doesn’t excite him about me?” Dariush said. “Are my fights not exciting enough? Or is it a skill issue? Or is it just because I don’t have the name? Because if it’s just because of the name, he should really consider — and I say this as nicely as possible, I’m not trying to be a d***, but he should really consider retiring. Because if you’re going to look for the names, if you’re going to look to fight only guys that the name will get you, bro, there’s dogs coming. There’s dogs, and they’re young and they’re hungry. They’re looking to kill.
“There’s guys out there already and there’s not a whole lot of Michael Chandlers left out there in the division. How many more fights like that can you get? You’re going to have to fight one of these dogs, and currently I’m at the forefront of these guys. So either step up or think about doing something else,” Dariush added. “He seems successful so, if you’re not genuinely — fighting is not a sport you want to be half-hearted about. So if he’s not 100 percent in, he should really reconsider what he’s doing.”
After a second failed bid to become undisputed champion in December 2021, it initially appeared that Poirier had lost motivation to mount another run at the gold. But last November, “The Diamond” rebounded in style by submitting Michael Chandler at UFC 281.
With that, the Louisianan is perhaps another impressive victory away from a chance at redemption. But despite Dariush’s credentials and place inside the top five, he’s not a man Poirier appears willing to battle it out for a title shot against.
What do you make of Beneil Dariush’s take on Dustin Poirier’s current mindset?
Quotes via MMA Fighting.
Click here to view the article.
