"I'm not super confident" - Beneil Dariush believes current lightweight division situation leaves him to be the "odd man out"
Rising UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush recently offered fans some insight into his future and prospects in the 155-pound division. He claimed that he had been left as the odd man out since a potential fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira attracted more attention from MMA fans.
While in conversation with Helen Yee, Dariush revealed that he was previously confident of bagging a fight against the Makhachkala native. He admitted that the fight put him in a position to contend for the mantle of the No.1 contender in the division.
However, with the UFC brass and fans pushing for a title fight between Makhachev and 'do Bronx', he believes he is no longer a front runner to compete against Khabib Nurmagomedov's protégé for the No.1 contender's spot. Here's what he told Yee:
"I was really confident right after [Rafael dos Anjos] fought. I don't know if you guys remember, but [Dana White] did some interviews, and he said, 'Oh, I want [Islam Makhachev] and [Beneil Dariush].' And I was like, 'Cool. That guarantees me No. 1 spot.' Now with everything playing out the way it's playing, there seems to be a big push for Islam and [Charles Oliveira], and that kind of leaves me the odd man out, and yeah so, I'm not super confident."
Catch Dariush's full interaction with Helen Yee right here:
Beneil Dariush hedges his bets for a fight between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira
In the same interaction with Helen Yee, Beneil Dariush picked Islam Makhachev as his favorite to overcome Charles Oliveira inside the octagon. He conceded that their matchup would be an extremely close fight instead of a washout favoring Makhachev.
The 33-year-old southpaw admitted that although the fight between Makhachev and Oliveira seems like a very exciting affair, he would much rather fight Makhachev himself.
"It's really exciting, if the fight [Makhachev vs. Oliveira] does happen. Obviously, I'd rather get the fight, but if not, I think it's a really exciting fight. Man, I would lean towards Islam but not by much, like by a hair."
Dariush has been riding a 7-fight win streak since his last setback which occurred way back in March 2018. He is currently coming off a decisive unanimous decision victory against Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 in May 2021.
Beneil Dariush hands Tony Ferguson his third straight loss as he falls via unanimous decision 👊
(via @ufc) https://t.co/0W2437Y3HG