Beneil Dariush revealed the UFC promised him a lightweight title shot with a win at UFC 289.
On June 10, the UFC travels to Vancouver, Canada, for an event headlined by Amanda Nunes vs. Irena Aldana. In the UFC 289 co-main event. Dariush and Oliveira will meet in the Octagon after their May 6 bout was rescheduled.
‘Benny’ and ‘Do Bronx’ are expected to be fighting for the next lightweight title shot. With that said, there are questions about Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gathje 2 potentially stealing the opportunity after their BMF title bout on July 29.
During an interview with Submission Radio, Dariush had this to say about fighting Islam Makhachev next if he defeats Oliveira:
“Fortunately, the UFC did give me their word, which is not usual for them. I think I asked after the Tony [Ferguson] fight, I thought maybe they would, but I said no problem. Before the [Mateusz] Gamrot fight, I asked like, ‘Hey, if I win this fight, I get the title shot, right?” I think it was Sean [Shelby], he gave me this spiel like ‘Well, we don’t know what tomorrow brings. What if Khabib [Nurmagomedov] comes back? What if [Alexander] Volkanovski wants to fight?… They didn’t give me that spiel. They said, ‘Yeah, you’re the number-one contender’”
There’s no doubt that Beneil Dariush has taken a longer route to a title shot than some other fighters. Since losing against Alexander Hernandez in March 2018, Dariush has won eight consecutive fights, including wins against Thiago Moises, Drew Dober, Diego Ferreira, Tony Ferguson, and Mateusz Gamrot.
Beneil Dariush explains his desire to dominate Charles Oliveira
Beneil Dariush wants more than a win against Charles Oliveira. The 34-year-old has claimed he plans to dominate ‘Do Bronx’ at UFC 289. During the same interview with Submission Radio, Dariush explained his desire to dominate Oliveira by saying:
“The game plan is to be defensively and offensively perfect where I don’t move forward without proper planning. I don’t move forward just to move forward. Every single inch I take or I take back is with a reason and with a purpose. That is why the goal for me is to dominate this fight, that is my goal. I’m not saying that’s how it’s gonna be, but my plans, my goals for this fight are this, he does not get anything from me.”
Although Dariush’s long-awaited title shot is in sight, Oliveira has his own reasons to be extra motivated. ‘Do Bronx’ last fought in October 2022, where he was dethroned by Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship. He plans to make a statement at UFC 289 and avenge his loss against Makhahcev.
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