Kings MMA head coach Rafael Cordeiro sees a bright future for one of his most promising lightweight fighters. While Beneil Dariush prepares to take on Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280, his trainer believes an impressive win could finally move them closer to a title shot.
In an interview with Combate, Cordeiro called the pairing an opportunity for Dariush to shine on the main card of highly-touted event. The way Cordeiro sees it, the Gamrot match could finally be the chance they’ve been waiting for to show that Dariush is ready to make his claim for UFC gold.
“I think this is a great opportunity for him to show his worth against an excellent opponent. Benny has been training hard for a long time and waiting for the opportunity to face someone that would lead him to a title shot. We’re taking it one fight at a time, but we’re keeping our eyes on the prize. Our job is to fight whoever they put in front of us,”
“Benny has something that keeps him training all year round.” Cordeiro said. “He’s always helping other fighters and by doing that, he’s always developing his own technique and cardio. That makes a big difference these days.”
Unfortunately for Dariush’s title hopes, however, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski recently revealed that not only is he the official backup for the UFC 280 main event, but even if he doesn’t get an opportunity to sub in for that fight, he expects to be next in line for a shot at lightweight gold.
Currently on a seven-fight winning streak, Dariush (21-4-1) defeated Tony Ferguson in his last outing, back in May 2021, via unanimous decision. During his streak, the 33-year-old also defeated other notable names, such as Carlos Diego Ferreira, Drew Dober and Scott Holtzman. His latest loss took place in March 2018, when he got knocked out by Alexander Hernandez.
Dariush is expected to face Gamrot on the PPV portion of UFC 280, in Abu Dhabi, on October 22. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a bout for the vacant lightweight title, between former champion Charles Oliveira and contender Islam Makhachev.