"May not be decided on the ground" - MMA experts share interesting takes on Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush outcome

Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush is set to take place this weekend in the co-main event slot at UFC 289. The bout is being considered a No.1 contender clash, with both men aiming to end the lightweight title reign of Islam Makhachev down the line.

Dariush will look to extend his eight-fight win streak on the line when he steps into the octagon with 'do Bronx', whereas Oliveira is fighting to avenge the loss he suffered to Makhachev last year.

Then official poster for next month’s UFC 289 event in Vancouver 🔥 #UFC289 #MMA https://t.co/xpOmmEgnpD

Sportskeeda MMA opted to try and find expert breakdowns for the fight by interviewing Arjun Chipalkatti and Somesh Kamra, panelists on The Ultimate Guide to UFC on Sony Sports Network.

Interviewed by Sayan Nag, Chipalkatti explained that Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush will be a highly technical matchup as they both have styles that cancel each other out:

"It's going to be highly competitive. The kind of styles they both have tend to cancel each other out. The fight may not be decided on the ground. Sometimes when you have two guys who are both great at grappling, the third discipline comes out. Two wrestlers tend to strike and two strikers tend to wrestle."

Sportskeeda MMA's second interview was conducted by Abhishek Nambiar, who got the scoop on the fight from Somesh Kamra. Kamra explained that the fight is going to be close and will likely be determined by which version of Oliveira steps into the octagon:

"Coming into this fight, it may not be the same dominant Charles Oliveira because he has faved adversity and Beneil Dariush puts immense amount of pressure and doesn't go down with any kind of shots. I'm assuming it's going to be a very very close fight."

Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush not expected to go the distance, says co-main fighter

Beneil Dariush looks set to earn himself his first UFC title shot should he manage to conquer the always dangerous Charles Oliveira.

The No.4-ranked lightweight recently weighed in on his bout against the Brazilian, and made a bold statement in regards to his preparations for the fight. According to 'Benny', fans shouldn't be expecting Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush to go the distance.

Speaking to Cole Shelton of bjpenn.com, Dariush stated:

"With a guy like Charles, you don't really need five rounds. Look at his fights. He either kills or is killed within three rounds so I don't think we really need five rounds, but I wouldn't mind if they made it five rounds. It would have been better. I think for someone like Arman Tsarukyan, [Mateusz] Gamrot, five rounds makes more sense."

Catch the Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush breakdown here (10:40):