Beneil Dariush, who lost to Charles Oliveira at UFC 289, is not making any excuses for his defeat, and is now focusing on his upcoming fight against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Austin, with hopes of getting back in the mix for a title shot.
Beneil Dariush doesn’t make excuses for his defeat at the hands of Charles Oliveira. He had an impressive eight-fight winning streak under his belt, which could have easily led to a title shot. Instead, he got offered a showdown with Oliveira at UFC 289. This fight could have been his ticket to compete for UFC gold. Sadly, things didn’t go as planned, and Dariush was finished off by Oliveira in the first round.
Dariush isn’t the type to explain away his losses. He doesn’t believe in blaming circumstances or decisions made in the heat of the fight. “I don’t want to take anything away from Charles,” Dariush told MMA Fighting. “It just wasn’t my night. It was his night. He had a great fight and that’s it.”
Oliveira’s victory put him on the path for a rematch against reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. However, a gruesome cut in training forced Oliveira out of the fight. Makhachev went on to knockout UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in the first round. Oliveira was immediately announced as next in line afterwards.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is also waiting for his chance. He scored a brutal head kick knockout over Dustin Poirier, securing his position as a No. 1 contender. Dariush slightly favors Gaethje as the best possible opponent for Makhachev. However, this preference has nothing to do with his loss to Oliveira.
“I think Justin makes a good case in terms of being next and he’s someone Makhachev has never fought before,” Dariush said. He believes that Gaethje’s unpredictability and power could give Makhachev problems. Gaethje’s past tendencies to just march forward and engage in a fire fight with every opponent has changed. He’s started taking a more strategic approach to his recent performances.
Dariush spent a lot of time preparing for his own fight against Makhachev. An injury prevented him from actually setting foot in the cage with him. He’s also spent time training alongside Gaethje so he knows both fighters very well. “I think it’s definitely possible, especially since Justin does have that power and he has that footwork,” Dariush said.
Dariush has his own business to handle at UFC Austin when he faces Arman Tsarukyan in the main event. If he wants to get back on his own road to the title, Dariush has to beat the 27-year-old Georgian fighter. He’s often been called a future champion in the UFC. In many ways, Dariush is reminded of his past fight against Mateusz Gamrot — another top lightweight behind him in the rankings who attempted to build a name off a win over him.
Dariush ultimately squashed Gamrot’s hopes with a dominant decision win at UFC 280. He hopes for a similar result with Tsarukyan. “It feels exactly like that [fight with Gamrot],” Dariush said. “He’s a stud so I look forward to facing him. I’ve watched a lot of his fights and I know he’s a good fighter.
“I’m assuming the fight is going to end up everywhere in all situations. So that’s how I’m preparing. I’m not sure if that’s how it’s going to be but that’s how I am preparing for this fight.”
If all goes well on Saturday, Dariush not only gets back in the win column but he could also potentially put himself back in position to compete for a title shot again in the near future. As much as he wants that to happen, Dariush learned through painful experience that nothing is guaranteed. So, he’s just taking everything one fight at a time.
“It’s a tricky one,” Dariush said. “I honestly don’t know where this fight’s going to put me but I’m definitely hoping it puts my name back in the mix. I think this is definitely something that can make that happen.”