Beneil Dariush drew the quick straw at UFC 311.
When Arman Tsarukyan bailed on the light-weight major occasion towards Islam Makhachev, the promotion poached Renato Moicano from the pay-per-view (PPV) major card, leaving Dariush with out a date for the massive dance final Sat. night time (Jan. 18) in Los Angeles.
The promotion paid the longtime veteran each his “present” and “win” purse however Dariush is hoping he’ll even be rewarded with a premium reserving towards one of many high names at 155 kilos, together with his personal private white whale.
“in a great world, I’d get anyone ranked forward of me — and the the choices there are Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway or Michael Chandler,” Dariush informed Submission Radio. “I consider I can beat anyone, so I believe I match up properly with him. I believe I’ll be positive within the hanging and I believe I’ve an enormous benefit within the grappling. The rationale why I stated Max Holloway is as a result of he’s now within the rankings.”
Holloway moved as much as light-weight following his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria.
“However my private favourite could be Poirier,” Dariush continued. “I do know I’ve talked about this earlier than, and the one purpose I say it’s as a result of for some time, he’s like ‘I don’t wish to battle Dariush, it doesn’t make sense for me,’ blah, blah, blah. After which he went and fought Benoit Saint-Denis. I don’t know the way his mind works, however perhaps one thing clicks once more in his mind and he’ll be like, ‘Okay, perhaps I do need this battle.’ Max Holloway, clearly I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time. To have the ability to battle him could be nice. I believe he’s probably the greatest fighters, , ever. After which Chandler, I don’t actually wish to battle him as a result of I don’t suppose he’s that robust, however he’s ranked forward of me.”
The 35 year-old Dariush (22-6-1) has not competed since his knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan on the UFC Austin occasion again in Dec. 2023, however stays ranked within the division Prime 10 for his consistency towards contending lightweights during the last a number of years.
As of this writing, Poirier, Holloway, and Chandler stay unbooked for 2025.
