Beneil Dariush explained why he doesn’t like to trash talk.
‘Benny’ has established himself as an elite lightweight contender, but one thing is keeping him from a title shot. The business side of MMA rewards those who stick out by talking trash. Dariush doesn't participate in these antics, possibly leading to a longer path to a world championship fight.
During an appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, the number four-ranked lightweight had this to say about it:
“One day, I will be retired, and the only people who are going to look back at my career are my kids. Last thing I need them to see is that I acted like a**, and then they’re like, well, you know, you always tell us to act this way, but why were you acting like that? The last thing I need is my kids to call me a hypocrite.”
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Dariush’s last fight was an impressive unanimous decision win against Mateusz Gamrot. Although it’s respectable that ‘Benny’ doesn't like to talk trash, the 33-year-old arguably made a mistake in his post-fight interview. He used his mic time to say he’s willing to fight ten more opponents to earn a title shot if needed.
Watch Beneil Dariush on the Believe You Me podcast below:
Beneil Dariush warns the top lightweight about the next generation coming in
Beneil Dariush questioned Dustin Poirier and other top-ranked lightweights about only fighting the elite superstars. Poirier responded by downplaying Dariush’s comments. 'The Diamond' has continuously stated that he’s not interested in fighting him. During the same podcast appearance with Michael Bisping, ‘Benny’ sent a warning to the lightweight division by saying:
“For Dustin Poirier, everybody got all hurt about it, but, bro, I’m genuine. You don’t want to fight these up-and-comers? You’re going to be in a long wait to fight your next opponent because these guys are coming in. The new guard is coming in. You’re going to be old news whether you like it or not if you don’t fight them.”
Dariush currently holds an eight-win streak. He had some notable wins along the way, but the 33-year-old separated himself by defeating Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot in his last two fights. Depending on the opponent, ‘Benny’ could be one win away from a UFC lightweight title shot.