"Being angry is a lot easier" - Beneil Dariush addresses his reputation as a "nice" guy

Besides being a highly skilled mixed martial artist, Beneil Dariush is widely regarded as a positive ambassador for the sport thanks to his "nice" guy image. However, Dariush recently claimed that being good-tempered comes with practice.

Beneil Dariush will return to the octagon against the immensely talented Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi. The No.6-ranked lightweight contender is currently on an impressive seven-fight win streak. The matchup has all the makings of a high-level modern-day MMA fight.

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Dariush was last seen inside the octagon against Tony Ferguson at UFC 262. The Iranian-born American dominated 'El Cucuy' en route to a unanimous decision victory. He was also booked for a fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC Fight Night 202, but was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury.

Being away from competition for over a year hasn't been easy for Beneil Dariush, who echoed the sentiment in a recent appearance on UFC Unfiltered with Jim Norton and Matt Serra.

The 33-year-old claimed that it's easier being the antagonist while addressing his reputation as a "nice" guy:

"I haven't fought in over a year. I'm losing my mind here. People always say. 'Oh! You're so nice.' I practice really hard to be nice. Being angry is a lot easier. Being a d**k is a lot easier. So I have to practice being nice and I'm tired. I'm ready to get inside the octagon."

Catch the interview from the 39:00 mark below:

Beneil Dariush claims top-five in lightweight division do not want to fight anyone ranked below

Beneil Dariush has a difficult task at hand when he faces Matuesz Gamrot at UFC 280 on October 22, 2022. The former KSW featherweight and lightweight champion is on a four-fight win streak in the UFC.

Dariush had a tough time booking a fight against the top-five in the division after his fight with Islam Makhachev fell apart.

Beneil Dariush has been forced out of his main event bout against Islam Makhachev due to injury, sources told @bokamotoESPN.

The UFC is currently exploring options for Makhachev. https://t.co/GxEp1MlmSw

In the same interview, Dariush claimed that the top-ranked fighters in the lightweight division want to stay in the top five and end up facing each other repeatedly.

He shed light on how many fighters, including the likes of Charles Oliveira, are unwilling to test themselves against rising contenders:

"These guys just want to alternate and fight each other. They want to stay in the top five and fight each other. And you know who used to say this? Charles Oliveira. And then he got into the top five and started doing the same thing."

Check out some of the best finishes by Beneil Dariush inside the octagon: