"Little things here, little things there, and the fight would have been different"– Beneil Dariush denies 'dominating' Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280
Beneil Dariush defeated Mateusz Gamrot by unanimous decision at UFC 280 on October 22. Despite winning all three rounds on two judges' scorecards and two rounds on the third judges' scorecard, the No.4-ranked lightweight does not believe that he dominated his opponent.
#UFC280 Official Scorecard: Beneil Dariush (@beneildariush) vs Mateusz Gamrot
All Scorecards: ufc.ac/3CWSM8t
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Speaking to ESPN MMA, Dariush stated:
"The fight felt really close all the way into the third round. I was like, 'Okay, I know I got the third round cause of that knockdown, and then the second - I felt confident overall, but at the same time, it felt really close in the fight and then when I watched it now, I was like, 'Oh yeah, it is close.'"
Dariush added:
"I know some people were saying 'Oh, no, he was pretty dominant,' but little things here, little things there, and the fight would've been different. It would've been different results so it was a really close fight and that's just a testament to how good he is."
Dariush shared that he was not nervous once the first scorecard was read. He knew the 30-27 score had to be for him as he felt he'd won the third round. Now on an eight-fight win streak, Dariush has placed himself firmly in the title picture.
Watch Beneil Dariush discuss his victory over Mateusz Gamrot below (starting at the 0:25 mark):
Beneil Dariush willing to fight anyone in the top five
Beneil Dariush is well-aware that Islam Makhachev's first lightweight title defense will likely come against featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. Dariush recently revealed that he is willing to fight any top-five lightweight.
When asked about potentially fighting Makhachev's UFC 280 opponent, Charles Oliveira, Dariush stated:
"That fight makes sense, I think Charles makes sense. I don't think Poirier or Chandler are going to want to fight after they fight. They normally take their time. I don't know if Oliveira is going to want to fight in February. I think anybody in the top-five makes sense, but they also are going to have to want to fight me."
Beneil Dariush revealed that his coaches and management have advised him to wait for a title shot. While he knows that his options are open, Dariush stated that he simply wants to fight, regardless of the opponent.
Dariush claimed that after his strong performance against Mateusz Gamrot, fans have been rallying to support his bid for lightweight gold.
If not for Volkanovski's pursuit of greatness, it is likely that Dariush would be the opponent for Islam Makhachev's first title defense.
Watch Beneil Dariush discuss the possibilities for his next opponent (starting at the 9:25 mark):