Beneil Dariush claims UFC may give title shot to lower-ranked fighter
Beneil Dariush is the only fighter in the UFC's lightweight top five who has not fought for a world title yet. Dariush is currently on an eight-fight win streak and has beaten tough opponents in Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot back-to-back.
But despite the perennial contender edging closer to his shot at the title, he believes that Rafael Fiziev, who is ranked below Dariush, could get a title shot before him.
Fiziev is ranked No.6 in the division, compared to Dariush at No.4. 'Ataman' is scheduled to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 286 in March. Dariush believes that if Fiziev defeats Gaethje, he may be awarded the winner of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev, set to go down in Australia next weekend.
During a recent interview with MMA journalist The Schmo, Beniel Dariush said the following:
"The UFC have never come to me and said, 'You're next [in line for the title]'... I don't feel like they look at me as the number one contender. If anything, I think that if Gaethje and Fiziev... If they fight and Fiziev wins, [he has] a seven-fight win streak, he has a win over the number three guy, they might push him ahead of me. Which sucks, but they might."
Watch the interview below:
Beneil Dariush has been rumored to face Charles Oliveira next, but believes that a win over the former champion may not be enough to secure his title shot.
Dariush has a quiet and reserved demeanor, and some, including Dariush himself, feel that he is treated as an afterthought in the mind of the UFC due to his subdued nature.
Beneil Dariush says Alexander Volkanovski will "give up a lot of weight" against Islam Makhachev
Beneil Dariush recently weighed in on the upcoming lightweight title fight at UFC 284 next weekend between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.
Volkanovski will be moving up a weight class as he strives to attain double-champ status. 'The Great' has spoken at length about the muscle he has put on for this fight, as well as the misconceptions people have about the size difference being a factor.
But during a recent interview with Helen Yee, Beneil Dariush claimed that Volkanovski will be at a severe weight disadvantage, which could ultimately lead to his downfall.
Dariush said this:
"[Volkanovski] was talking about being 175 [pounds], or he'll weight 170 [pounds] the day of the fight. He's gonna be giving up a lot of weight. I've heard different things, but I've heard [Islam] Makhachev is over 180 [pounds], I even heard some people say 190 which I don't believe. I've heard he's really big on fight day which makes a difference."
Watch the interview below: