UFC lightweight frustrated with promotion over title prospect
A UFC lightweight contender is "frustrated" with the company's lack of commitment with regard to granting him a potential top contender status in the 155-pound division.
Beneil Dariush, the No. 4 ranked UFC lightweight, is unhappy with where he stands in the pecking order of his weight class.
Based on his comments after beating Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280, Dariush was well aware that even an impressive win against a highly-touted prospect wouldn't guarantee him a title shot. He turned out to be right as featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski was given first dibs on challenging newly-crowned lightweight king Islam Makhachev.
As the months went by, the Iranian-American fighter seemingly grew tired of waiting for his turn. According to Dariush, the UFC won't even come close to giving him a handshake deal.
During an interview with Submission Radio, Dariush said:
"See, that's the frustrating thing. They never a positive answer on like, 'Hey, you're next.' You know, obviously my manager is gonna be my biggest fan. He's like, 'You're definitely next. You have an eight-fight win streak, three fights in the top 10, one of them was top five. You have to be next.'"
The 33-year-old lightweight also said that he's been given promises that never materialized:
"And I'm like, 'Listen, they've said things like that to me before.' They said I was going to be the alternate. ... [But] I understand how the business is run and I understand that I got to do my part."
Check out Beneil Dariush's interview below:
Beneil Dariush thinks UFC lightweight star should consider retirement
Beneil Dariush is of the opinion that Dustin Poirier should strongly consider retirement if he doesn't intend to fight rising contenders.
In November 2022, 'The Diamond' picked up a huge win, tapping out Michael Chandler at UFC 281. The victory solidified his status in the top-five position in the lightweight division.
Watch the video below:
WHAT A FIGHT!
Dustin Poirier submits Michael Chandler 💪
https://t.co/dXh7Zmbamw
However, Dariush isn't very impressed with how Poirier is navigating the latter part of his career. Appearing on Submission Radio, Dariush said:
"I wish he’d be a little bit more clear as to, what is it that doesn’t excite him about me? Are my fights not exciting enough? Or is it a skill issue? Or is it just because I don’t have the name?"
"Because if it’s just because of the name, he should really consider – and I say this as nicely as possible, I’m not trying to be a d***, but he should really consider retiring."
Catch the comments in the clip below: