"I would love to know what he was thinking" - Beneil Dariush questions Charles Oliveira's "strange" game plan against "proficient" striker Islam Makhachev

Beneil Dariush seemed surprised by Charles Oliviera's game plan against Islam Makhachev in an interview with Submission Radio. The No. 5-ranked UFC lightweight fought to a decision victory against Mateusz Gamrot on the UFC 280 pay-per-view card.

The event was headlined by Charles 'do Bronx' Oliviera and Islam Makhachev, with the latter submitting Oliviera via arm triangle in the second round. Dariush said he was surprised that Charles Oliviera attempted to take Islam Makhachev down, as opposed to relying on his combinations and knees to trade with Makhachev on the feet.

Here's Beneil Dariush's full interview with Submission Radio:

Dariush Makhachev's proficient striking and dominance from the top position could be a nightmare matchup for Charles Oliviera. He said:

"He [Oliviera] is very comfortable standing [with his opponents], because when he gets hurt, he goes to his back. And then, on his back he's comfortable against guys who don't know how to put pressure on him. A guy [like Islam] who has proficient striking and is very dominant on top is a nightmare for him, and I think we saw that, you know? Charles didn't have an answer for what Islam was bringing."

He then questioned Charles Oliviera's game plan of trying to take Islam Makhachev down, saying:

"And, it seemed like Charles was trying to take him down or pull guard. Whatever he was trying to do, it looked strange. I'd love to know what he was thinking like; what the game plan was, what their focus was. But the whole fight - as far as Charles goes - he kept rushing in, closing the distance instead of going to knees, push-kicks and.. whatever. It surprised me."

On being asked how he would match up against Islam Makhachev, Beneil Dariush said that it would be important to play into his own game and not fall into Makhachev's. He stressed the importance of not worrying about Makhachev's game, and to just go out there and "fight like your life depends on it."

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Beneil Dariush moves up the rankings after UFC 280 win

Beneil Dariush had a stellar showing against Mateusz Gamrot in a three-round barn burner. The fight was very competitive on the feet, with Dariush landing significant strikes on Gamrot. This forced the latter to consistently shoot for takedowns. Darish showed incredible grappling ability through his take-down defense and scrambles. Dariush moved up the lightweight rankings to No. 5 after his UFC 280 win.

All three judges scored the contest in Dariush's favor. Following his win, in his post-fight interview, Dariush showed solidarity with the people of Iran. In the post-fight press conference, Beneil Dariush expressed that he wanted to fight for the title next.

With a win over Mateusz Gamrot, Beneil Dariush is on an eight-fight win streak. His UFC record is 16-4-1 and his overall MMA record is 22-4-1.