Beneil Dariush on his upcoming opponent Islam Makhachev - "I think the hype is real" 

Beneil Dariush has weighed in on his upcoming opponent Islam Makhachev, whom many have touted as a future UFC lightweight champion. Dariush asserted that the hype around the Dagestani MMA stalwart is indeed real.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, Beneil Dariush opened up on multiple topics. He notably spoke about the fight against Makhachev – a potential number-one contender’s matchup – being made official.

Suggesting that he’s elated to finally receive the opportunity to compete in a title eliminator fight, Dariush stated:

“Yeah, this is perfect. I wanted something that was going to give me the title; title eliminator. I know Dan Hooker, at that time, was calling me a lot. And I said, ‘December. If you want to do December, let’s go December.’ But he kept trying to force me to fight in – I don’t remember. Was it September, or October, or whatever? I was like, ‘No. I’m not fighting.’ Anyways. We’re here now. I got this.”

Furthermore, Beneil Dariush alluded to Islam Makhachev’s well-rounded MMA skill-set. However, reiterating his belief that he can beat the Dagestan native, Dariush said:

“You know, I think the hype is real. I really don’t think he has any holes in his game. And that’s the exciting thing. I’m gonna have to go in there and punch some holes in his game. That’s the only way you’re gonna beat this guy.”

Watch Beneil Dariush’s conversation with The Schmo below:

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Daniel Cormier backs Islam Makhachev to defeat Beneil Dariush

In an interview with Helen Yee Sports, Daniel Cormier picked his longtime AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) teammate Islam Makhachev to beat Beneil Dariush.

Presently, Makhachev is riding high on a nine-fight win streak, while Dariush is on a seven-fight win streak. 'DC' praised the No.3-ranked UFC lightweight Dariush for being a very difficult matchup but opined that the No.4-ranked Makhachev is the best.

Cormier said:

"I think it's a great fight. I think Beneil Dariush is a very difficult matchup for anyone, even a guy like Islam who has been so dominant but the reality is I think that Islam is the best in the world…Tough fight, I think Beneil's as good as they come, but I just believe that Islam is absolutely the best."

Makhachev is set to fight Dariush in a five round lightweight bout that’ll headline UFC Fight Night 202 on February 26th. Meanwhile, UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is expected to defend his title against Justin Gaethje next.

The Makhachev-Dariush winner is likely to face the Oliveira-Gaethje winner for the lightweight title later this year.