It’s safe to say Beneil Dariush probably should have had a shot at the UFC lightweight title by now.
The 155-pound contender has won seven fights in a row with multiple Performance of the Night accolades to his name over the past few years.
However, the bookers of the company threw one more test in front of him in the form of Brazilian Charles Oliveira.
It was to be a pivotal clash for Dariush, with a win more than likely guaranteeing him that lightweight title shot.
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But unfortunately, Oliveira had to withdraw from the May 6 bout because of injury.
The Iranian-born fighter has been left without a fight, but in an interview with The Schmo revealed that he had suggested he now get a shot at Islam Makhachev.
It was a request that was denied by the UFC and certainly left a sour taste in the BJJ star’s mouth.
Dariush said: “I was actually pretty upset at that time.
I took a minute and kind of calmed down. So I go in and I basically say to them, ‘Hey, if that’s the case, if he’s not available, let me fight Makhachev in, let’s say, July or August?’
“But they’re like, ‘No, we have to save Makhachev for October for the Abu Dhabi card.’ I don’t really wanna wait until October, but I still wanna fight for the belt.
“So I say, ‘OK, why don’t I get him in October then?’”
Despite his attempts to negotiate with the UFC, he was still denied the opportunity.
He continued: “Basically, the way they put it is like – I’m not the No. 1 contender is the way they put it.
“They said there’s people ahead of me, and they specifically pointed out Dustin Poirier.
“At that point, I was about to flip a table. I was about to take Justin Gaethje’s advice. You know he said, ‘If Dariush doesn’t get the title shot, we riot.’ I was very close to that.”
Instead, the company still plans to hold the Oliveira fight, with the hopes of having the rescheduled bout at UFC 289 on June 10.
Which is completely fine with Dariush, as he says he ‘likes fighting’, however, he had some demands in case the fight falls through again.
He said: “I still don’t have a contract, so I’m not sure if it’s for sure, but that’s what they told me they want to do, June 10. At first, I wasn’t about it because what if this guy pulls out?
“But then I said a couple of things: If this guy pulls out again, I want the title shot. And basically a pay bump, too. They agreed to both things, and that was pretty much it.”
Looks like the 33-year-old is etching closer to that title chance.
Topics: MMA, UFC, Charles Oliveira
Jayden Collins