"My coaches were hoping for somebody ranked higher" - Beneil Dariush talks about missing out on Dustin Poirier fight
Beneil Dariush has revealed that Dustin Poirier was his top choice as his next opponent inside the octagon.
Unfortunately for Dariush, rumors of him fighting Poirier fell through as he's now scheduled to take on Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280. During an interview with The Schmo, 'Benny' disclosed how he found himself in his current situation:
"We were looking for [Dustin Poirier]. We were looking for that fight and I'm not sure if he turned down the fight or if the UFC never actually offered him the fight. So that was one of the fights we were looking for but it never happened. I was like, 'Okay, what about Chandler?' They mentioned Justin Gaethje, but I don't think he wants to fight until next year or end of the year. I was hoping to fight earlier, like August or September. And so we just kind of went through the list. We were like, 'Okay Fiziev.' They said [he has] a broken nose."
Check out Beneil Dariush's interview below:
The Assyrian-American also revealed that Gamrot was at the bottom of his list because of his relatively low ranking. However, Dariush insisted that he's excited for the fight just the same as he views the Pole as one of the best fighters in the division:
"And I was like, 'Okay I guess Gamrot it is,' Dariush continued. "For me, I think skill-wise, he might be the most skilled guy out of everybody I just mentioned. So it's super exciting for me personally. I know my management and my coaches were hoping for somebody ranked higher, but I'm just trying to fight the best guys."
Beneil Dariush on facing Mateusz Gamrot instead of Dustin Poirier
Beneil Dariush may have missed out on some of the biggest names in the lightweight division, but he insists he's far from disappointed.
According to the 155-pound veteran, the only thing that matters to him is that he gets to prove himself against the best. With that in mind, Beneil Dariush revealed that he's just as interested in fighting someone like Gamrot:
"For me, I'm not disappointed. Because like I said, he's one of the best and I wanna smash him. It's that simple. My philosophy of fighting is not that complicated. I don't care about your rankings, I care about your skill. I wanna make sure I prove to you that I'm better."
The UFC is finalizing a lightweight bout between Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot for UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi 📍
(via @bokamotoespn) https://t.co/Ay4JoQOcAy
UFC 280 will take place on October 22 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event is expected to be one of the most stacked cards of the year.