Beneil Dariush calls for fight against Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira
Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush called for a fight against either Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira.
Dariush, the No. 4 ranked lightweight in the UFC, has won his last eight fights in a row, including a notable victory over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 last October. On paper, he is more than deserving of fighting for the UFC lightweight title next. However, that won’t be happening, because the champion, Islam Makhachev, is next set to fight featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski in a super fight at UFC 284 next month. It is possible that Dariush could wait and fight the winner of that bout, but in the event that Volkanovski wins and then decides to go back to featherweight to defend his belt there, then Dariush could wind up waiting quite a long time to fight for the lightweight strap.
Instead of sitting around and waiting, Dariush wants to stay busy and he has two potential opponents in mind for his next fight. Speaking to UFC.com in a recent interview, Dariush suggested bouts against the No. 1 ranked Oliveira and the No. 2 ranked Poirier next, and possibly as soon as March.
“I don’t know what UFC’s gameplan is for me. I don’t know if I’m ever going to fight for that belt. I have the option of waiting and fighting the winner, but if Volkanovski wins and decides to defend his featherweight belt, I might end up waiting a whole year and maybe I end up fighting in 2024. I don’t think there is anybody who can jump in front of me right now, but my job is winning fights, so let’s fight Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira. March is a good timetable for me,” Dariush said.
“I like fighting. I get bored not fighting. I get bored not preparing for an opponent. This is my job and I want to do it. That’s it. It’s not about money or guaranteeing the title shot, it’s that I want to fight the best guys in the world. I think Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira are those guys.”
We will see if the UFC is interested in booking Dariush for these fights, or if the promotion has other plans for him, but either way, Dariush is one of the best lightweight fighters in the world right now.
Do you want to see Beneil Dariush fight Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, or someone else next?
