"UFC always checks us first"– Beneil Dariush on "stupid" weigh-in that cost Charles Oliveira his belt, recalls his own incident with "drama queen" official in Texas
Beneil Dariush has advocated for digital scales while defending Charles Oliveira for his UFC 274 weight miss.
The controversial weight miss that led to Oliveira being stripped of the lightweight title has been a talking point during the UFC 280 fight week. Dariush was asked about the situation during his media day interview and had this to say:
"Yeah, I think he [Charles Oliveira] is definitely the champion and the whole thing with not having digital scales. 'Cause the same thing happened to me in Texas. I was in Texas. I weighed in on the digital scales for the UFC. It said 156. I went to weigh-in, and they said 156.3. So, then I had to go lose another 0.3 [pounds], and then I came back.”
Dariush further added:
“There’s no way they would let Charles get on the belt without checking him first. The UFC always checks us first. So, he must have made weight before the UFC let him on. The guy we had in Texas was kind of a drama queen. The show wasn’t about him and he was making it about him. That’s why digital scales are important.”
This Saturday, the LW division will once again have a champion 👑
[ #UFC280 | Prelims 10am ET on ESPNews | Main Card 2pm ET LIVE on @ESPNPlus PPV ] https://t.co/HxHKwc9C7H
UFC 280 will create clarity for the lightweight division. Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev will determine a bonafide champion, while Dariush vs. Mateusz Gamrot would reveal a legitimate contender. Dana White has already said that Alexander Volkanovski, who is also the backup fighter for the UFC 280 main event, is getting the next title shot.
Watch Beneil Dariush discuss Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 media day below:
Beneil Dariush reacts to Alexander Volkanovski being backup for UFC 280 main event
It’s unlikely either Charles Oliveira or Islam Makhachev will pull out of UFC 280. Yet, there were murmurs of a backup in case of a main event fighter suffering injury or not making weight.
Alexander Volkanovski ended up being the backup, but up until 'Volk' revealed it, Beneil Dariush had thought he was the backup fighter for the lightweight title bout.
Put some respect on Beneil Dariush's name!
#UFC280 Pregame Preview w/ @lthomasnews, @bcampbell, and @chuckmindenhall is available here: youtu.be/a2_4kUoZMFU https://t.co/oNbuqllcUK
During an interview with Submission Radio, Dariush had this to say about Volkanovski being the main event backup:
“Well, at first, I was geniunely confused, and then I was pretty pi**ed, and then I started just kind of thinking about it and... I'm annoyed about it, I'm kind of butthurt, but it makes sense if you think about it.”
Beneil Dariush is currently a +155 betting underdog against Mateusz Gamrot. The Kings MMA fighter has a massive opportunity this weekend to make himself an undeniable challenger for the 155lbs throne.