The UFC had some worthy contenders to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 and Beneil Darius was definitely one of them. 6. The lightweight believes that the one who fights for the lightweight title should be himself.
UFC 280 is set to headline the event this weekend with Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The two will fight for the undisputed lightweight belt. Beneil Dariush will also battle against the main card rising rival Mateusz Gamrot on the same card.
Dariush and Makhachev have the same managers and things got tricky when Dagestan was chosen instead of Beneil as the lightweight champions. The 6th lightweight, with similar fighting profiles, believes he deserves the title. In a recent Moyens I/O MMA exclusive interview UFC 280Dariush explains why he believes he deserves it.
“Yes. I had top 10 wins and I had top 5 wins.” Dariush said in an interview with Moyens I/O. And at that time, I beat Carlos Diego. [Ferreira] Six years unbeaten and I had the opportunity to fight Tony Ferguson and everyone who beat Tony before that had a chance to win, so I thought I deserved it.” added Dariush in the interview.
Read more: “Deal has come to an end” – Beneil Dariush explains what happened when Alexander Volkanovski replaced him as a reserve fighter for the UFC 280 title fight
Comparing the CVs of Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev at UFC
Both Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev had some great runs in the UFC. The former is in 6th place with an active 7-fight streak, while the latter is currently 4th with a 10-fight streak. The world of MMA is divided between those who truly deserve to fight for the title at UFC 280.
The UFC had a plan for this back in February, when they paired the two up for a Fight Night headliner match. However, this fight was shelved with Dariush’s injury. Makhachev soon went on to win Bobby Green and secured the lightweight title shot he wanted.
One major criticism Makhachev faced was that he hadn’t actually beaten any of the top lightweights in his winning streak. The highest-ranking fighter Makhachev has fought in his career is Dan Hooker, who is currently in the featherweight division. Dariush, on the other hand, scored a win against Tony Ferguson, who was top of the league at the time.
Watch 280 – Oliveira vs Makhachev LIVE on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu) on October 22, 2022 at 23:30 IST.