Beneil Dariush opens up on ‘heated’ discussions with UFC top brass over LW title shot

Beneil Dariush has faced yet another setback in his journey to claiming the UFC lightweight title. The No.4-ranked lightweight fighter was supposed to face former champion Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 288: Sterling vs. Cejudo.

The fight will not happen at UFC 288 as the former champion had to pull out of the bout citing an undisclosed injury. Dariush spoke to Submission Radio about the whole situation, stating that he's willing to face 'do Bronx' on the next pay-per-view card, i.e. UFC 289 but isn't sure if Oliveira will be healthy and ready to go by then.

With Beneil Dariush's concerns about Oliveira not returning in time to fight him, he asked the UFC's top brass why he couldn't fight Islam Makhachev directly. Here's what Dariush said about his heated discussions with the top UFC brass with regards to the lightweight title shot:

"I kind of kept digging [into it] as to why I'm not the No.1 contender, and they pretty much said, 'Dustin Poirier is the No.1-contender, he's ranked ahead of you.' The thing that came to my mind was what Justin Gaethje said, you know [like], 'If Dariush doesn't get the title shot, we riot.', and stuff. I was considering just flipping the table and walking out of there."

Skip to 4:05 for Beneil Dariush on his title-shot discussions with the UFC:

Dariush spoke of how the UFC was insistent on him fighting and beating Oliveirjjja to earn a title shot. Here's what he said:

"They said [that] once I beat Charles, I'm the No.1-contender. And then, also, they said [that] if Charles pulls out again, they'll give me the title shot as well."

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What are Beneil Dariush's keys to victory against Charles Oliveira?

Islam Makhachev pretty much gave the world the playbook to beat Charles Oliveira. The formula is pretty straightforward - once you knock 'do Bronx' down, don't hesitate to close the distance and enter his guard. The caveat, however, is the fact that Makhachev has years of wrestling and sambo under his belt.

The current lightweight champion's grappling pressure was a key factor in finishing an already dazed Oliveira (as a result of a knockdown by Makhachev) in the second round.

Makhachev vs. Oliveira highlights:

The playbook might not be as straightforward for Dariush as it was for Makhachev, simply because Dariush doesn't have the pressure-heavy style of grappling that the Dagestani elite wrestlers have. That doesn't mean the Iranian-American fighter doesn't have competent enough grappling.

Beneil Dariush can find success on the feet if he times his combinations right. He displayed excellent scrambling ability against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280. We can make the assumption that Dariush won't walk into a firefight with Oliveira like Justin Gaethje or Michael Chandler did.

The key to victory for the No.4-ranked lightweight would be to pick his shots and not get drawn into a firefight or get sucked into a grappling exchange where Charles Oliveira is extremely dangerous.