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Beneil Dariush is looking to return to the win column at UFC Austin this Saturday night.
The UFC lightweight division is only full of the toughest matchups, especially at its peak. After amassing a winning streak of eight in a row, the perennial top contender Dariush still needed one more win to earn his long-awaited title shot. Unfortunately for Dariush, he ran into the former champion Charles Oliveira, who ended his best career run with a first-round TKO at UFC 289 in June.
Dariush, 34, is set to make his return after his rough loss when he faces Arman Tsarukyan in this weekend’s main event. A win for either puts them in a solid spot amongst the division’s elite, however, Dariush revealed ahead of the upcoming bout that he had a different big-name option for his possible dance partner.
“I actually got a call for fighting Dustin Poirier a couple of weeks ago on UFC 295,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “They called me for that and they said, ‘Hey, would you be willing?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, of course. My weight’s good, I’m obviously in camp right now, I can do a fight with Dustin Poirier.’ And they said, ‘Okay, we’ll get back to you.’ It didn’t materialize and then they called me again and they said, ‘Okay, what about Dustin Poirier for December 2?’ I said, ‘Okay.’ Then I just waited and it didn’t materialize.
“Afterward they said they were going to stick with Arman and it’s gonna be five rounds. I never hear the other side. I’m not really sure what happened with Dustin. I would love to hear what he has to say about it, but no one has asked him in the interviews or anything like that or he hasn’t mentioned it.”
The one-time interim champion Poirier’s next fight will also act as his rebound effort when it happens. Vying for the BMF title in a rematch with Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 in July, Poirier fell short by a second-round head kick knockout.
Poirier currently has no plans booked but has kept his weight low after receiving a call to possibly step in on short notice against the current champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294. While a matchup between “The Diamond” and Dariush would certainly be a good one at any point in their careers, Dariush doesn’t expect it to ever happen.
“Dustin makes more sense in terms of rankings, in terms of visibility, in terms of everything, right?” Dariush said. “But on paper, I think Arman is the tougher fighter, he’s got better skills in terms of grappling, he’s younger, I would say he’s hungrier. On paper, he’s just a tougher fighter.
“If we’re talking about visibility, I would pick Dustin Poirier. If we’re talking about who’s the tougher challenge, I would pick Arman Tsarukyan, and that’s my opinion. So, I’m kind of excited to be fighting Tsarukyan, to be honest with you. I’ll always pick to fight the tougher guy, that’s my goal.”
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The MMA Hour.
Greatest Hits: Arman Tsarukyan.
Free fight.
Rapid Rounds: Coenen vs. Ruyssen.
The War Room: Dariush vs. Tsarukyan.
Wrong house.
Collecting.
Repairs.
Surgery done and dusted this morning. Not my first and definitely won’t be my last time under the knife haha.
Can see how this isn’t everyones cup of tea but I’m built for this game. Just a scratch baby, can’t wait to scrap again. pic.twitter.com/M6AcQoMo7b
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) November 27, 2023
Versatility.
Fight week.
Late.
Fun.
Sheeeeeeeeeesh.
You couldn’t go wrong with Dariush against either of these two options. Even though the winner of the UFC Austin main event vs. Poirier next makes sense, it feels unlikely we’ll get it. Need a seriously wild finish to entice “The Diamond.”
Thanks for reading!
Poll
Is Beneil Dariush vs. Dustin Poirier the next move for Dariush is he wins at UFC Austin?
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