Jon Anik shares four-word reaction after "odd man out" Beneil Dariush sees the positive side of being left off of UFC 311 event

No.9-ranked UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush suffered the worst end of the major shake-up of the UFC 311 fight card this weekend. In an unfortunate turn of events, one-half of the main event fight, Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of his clash with lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev due to injury.

Replacing Tsarukyan is no.10-ranked Renato Moicano, who was supposed to fight Dariush on the main card. With this, the Iranian-born lightweight has no opponent. Speculations were made on whether or not the UFC will find a new dance partner for Dariush but ultimately, they decided to take him out of the card.

Beneil Dariush posted about this heartbreaking series of events on his Instagram, writing:

"Family and friends unfortunately I’m not fighting tomorrow. Due to changes in the card I been left as the odd man out. I appreciate @danawhite and @ufc for giving me an opportunity to fight in my home town and taking care of me even though I’m not fighting. I believe God has something better for me and I will wait faithfully to see how it unfolds."

Numerous fighters and MMA personalities commented their heartfelt words of support for Beneil Dariush, with popular UFC commentator Jon Anik saying:

"Feel for you, BD."

Jon Anik's comment on Beneil Dariush's post. [Image credit: @beneildariush on Instagram]

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UFC president Dana White promises to "take care" of Beneil Dariush in light of UFC 311 main card shake-up

Reading into Dariush's statement, it seems the lightweight veteran took the bad news in stride and is in high hopes for the future. The UFC and its president Dana White have been known to take care of their fighters at times like these, often going above and beyond to make sure they're taken care of.

When asked what happens to Beneil Dariush in the immediate aftermath of the UFC 311 shake-up, Dana White plainly and confidently replied:

"We'll take care of Beneil. We'll get him figured out."

Dariush is one of the most beloved fighters not just in the UFC lightweight division, but in the entire roster altogether. He is a four-time Performance of the Night winner and once won Fight of the Night. His ability to take punishment and then come back like a storm earned him the reputation of a comeback king.

His latter performances, however, have not been that stellar. After going on an eight-fight winning streak from 2018 to 2022, Dariush suffered back-to-back losses in 2023. His fight at UFC 311 was his supposed return to action after more than a year on the sideline.