Beneil Dariush revealed he’s confused about what led to his two-fight losing streak.
Heading into 2023, Dariush was riding an eight-fight win streak, arguably one victory away from a UFC lightweight title shot. Unfortunately for him, he’s suffered back-to-back first-round losses by KO/TKO against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, leading to a significant setback in his fighting career.
Dariush recently made an appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST to discuss various topics. When asked about his two-fight losing streak, the number seven-ranked UFC lightweight had this to say:
“Man, it sucks, but I don’t know [why I lost my last two fights]. I feel like strength-wise, I felt the best I’ve ever felt. Speed is good, everything is on point. With the Charles [Oliveira] fight, I was like, man, I was just off, I felt really off that fight. This last fight, I felt great and then I still lost. It’s one of those things I’m trying to figure out. I’ve been as honest as I can be about it, maybe I don’t have it, something clicked and I lost it, but my goal is to find out. Fortunately for me, and also unfortunately, I’ve been here before.”
Beneil Dariush hasn’t had the opportunity to fight as often as he would prefer. During the previously mentioned podcast, Dariush explained how fighting less is a negative of being a top-ten-ranked UFC fighter:
“The only issue with the UFC is, since I’m ranked, it gets really tricky. Honestly, as cool as it is to be ranked, it also kind of sucks because you don’t get to fight as much as you want, you don’t get to fight when you want. With the Charles fight, I was hoping to fight in February, same time as when [Islam] Makhachev fought, or March. I even offered to fight different guys, but they were like, ‘No, we want you to fight him.’ They said April, then they said May, and then June finally happened.”
Watch Dariush’s entire podcast appearance below:
Beneil Dariush predicts Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
On April 13, the UFC will return to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for arguably the most stacked event of the year – UFC 300. The pay-per-view main card features several high-stakes matchups, including a potential number-one lightweight contender bout between Beneil Dariush’s last two opponents, Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.
During his appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, Dariush provided his prediction for Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan:
“I’m leaning towards Arman [Tsarukyan] because it’s a three-round fight. Because it’s a three-round fight, I think Arman. I think he’s going to win the early rounds and then I don’t know. If Charles [Oliveira] wins, it’ll be more later on. That’s how I feel.”
As for Beneil Dariush, the 34-year-old is waiting to see what’s next in the Octagon. Although nothing is official, Dariush has voiced his interest in potentially fighting Dan Hooker, who called him out after securing a two-fight win streak against Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner.
Dan Hooker vs. Beneil Dariush? I'm in! pic.twitter.com/RFyzaczqaF
— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) January 29, 2024
