"Everybody's food" - Beneil Dariush "annoyed" but unaffected by "hypocrite" Charles Oliveira possibly fighting Islam Makhachev
Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush is confident enough in his ability to look at the rest of the division as 'food'. There are multiple impressive winstreaks currently in the lightweight division.
Former champion Charles Oliveira (11) and Islam Makhachev (10) lead the pack. Close behind is 'Benny' who is on a seven-fight streak. The Iranian-born fighter believes he is deserving of the next title shot but admitted he doesn't want to wait.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA, Dariush was asked where he sees himself in the division and whether he'll fight Oliveira before Makhachev. 'Benny' is currently the No.6 ranked lightweight:
"In my mind, If I'm as good as I think I am, If I'm the best in the world, then everybody's food. All these guys are just food. The only difference is the rotation and who's going to be the first to eat. That's basically how I look at it. That's one of the reasons I'm not jumping on it like, 'Charles has to give me this fight!.' I could clearly say 'Hey buddy, you always say the top five never give you a fight. We were scheduled to fight. We were meant to fight in october 2020. You bailed on me and said family issues but in December fought Tony Ferguson. You're being a hyprocrite.' If I really cared that's how I'd come at this, I'd say he's being a hypocrite and owes me the fight... I'm annoyed. That's how I feel right now."
Okamoto then pressed Dariush and asked him whether he's open to waiting for his title shot if the UFC gives it to Islam Makhachev first. Dariush, who hasn't fought since May 2021, admitted that he didn't want to wait and wanted to be back in the octagon as soon as possible:
"Nah man I don't want to wait. I want to fight. If Islam gets this fight, cool. If I get this fight cool. You can make a case for both of us. Islam is on a ten fight streak, I'm on a seven... You can make a case for both. Honestly I don't care, let me know who's next. Am I fighting [Michael] Chandler? Am I fighting Dustin Poirier or will I fight Islam?"
Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush were due to face each other in February 2022. It was dubbed as an unofficial No.1 contender fight. 'Benny' however was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a leg injury.
Watch Brett Okamoto's interview with Beneil Dariush below:
Ali Abdelaziz belives Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev should fight for the vacant lightweight title, not Charles Oliveira
Ali Abdelaziz, manager of Isam Makhachev, believes the Dagestani and Beneil Dariush are most deserving of fighting for the vacant lightweight title. Putting a post out on social media, Abdelaziz doesn't think Oliveira should have the chance to win his title back first.
Check out the tweet below:
Media. Should Olivera fight for the title next? In my opinion, the 2 that deserves it the most are @beneildariush and @MAKHACHEVMMA
Charles Oliveira was stripped of the lightweight title for missing weight ahead of his UFC 274 title defense against Justin Gaethje. 'do Bronx' defeated Gaethje but could not win his belt back. However, following the Brazilian's victory, Dana White was quick to announce that Oliveira was the official No.1 contender.
The three fighters goading for the title are all on spectacular runs. Oliveira, Dairush and Makhachev all boast impressive win-streaks too. Fans can expect the three men to face each other at some point to determine the future of the lightweight division.