Tag: Beneil Dariush

Beneil Dariush expects Paddy Pimblett to have lots of success grappling Michael Chandler

Beneil Dariush gives Paddy Pimblett the ground advantage over Michael Chandler at UFC 314.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] gives [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] the ground advantage over [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] at UFC 314.

Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) takes on former UFC title challenger Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in a five-round lightweight co-main event April 12 at Kaseya Center in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+).

Dariush sees Chandler as Pimblett’s perfect ticket to the upper echelon of lightweight.

“I think for Paddy, it’s perfect,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “You could be a fan of Chandler, whatever, you have to admit he’s 2-4 in the UFC. Just being honest, I don’t think he’s on his way to the top. He’s on a downward slope, so it’s a perfect time for Paddy to kind of meet him there, and I think Paddy has a very good chance of beating him.”

Dariush was surprised with Chandler’s most recent performance where he lost to Charles Oliveira in their rematch at UFC 309. Chandler was taken down five times and controlled for almost 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision loss.

“Charles was able to get a lot of takedowns on Chandler, which I’m being honest with you: I didn’t think that was going to happen,” Dariush continued. “I thought maybe one or two takedowns, but to be able to take him down every round, that was very surprising to me. So I think Paddy has a great chance. I think the fight will play out a lot standing, but if Paddy gauges in the grappling, he’ll actually have lots of success.

“For whatever reason, Chandler is wrestling less than he used to, and wrestling isn’t like striking where you could just hit some mitts and be back in shape for it. Wrestling, you got to drill, drill, drill, and it’s ugly, and it’s hard. As you get older, it becomes harder and harder to do that. He’s not wrestling as much, and that gives a really big opportunity for Paddy to win that fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.

Beneil Dariush wouldn’t be against Ilia Topuria getting a title shot vs. UFC champion Islam Makhachev

Beneil Dariush approves of Ilia Topuria getting an immediate title shot at lightweight.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] approves of [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] getting an immediate title shot at lightweight.

Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated his UFC featherweight belt after admitting that the weight cut was too strenuous on him. “El Matador” is eyeing a title fight against lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Despite only defending his title once with a knockout of Max Holloway at UFC 308, Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) doesn’t see anyone else in the lightweight title picture as more worthy at the moment.

“You can’t really disagree with it,” Dariush told MMA Junkie. “Because he became champion, he defended his belt, and he’s just like, ‘Hey, I’m too big. I don’t want to make this weight cut anymore, so I want to fight ’55.’ I wouldn’t be against him fighting for 155, especially since the UFC said they’re not going to allow Arman (Tsarukyan) to have his fight for the title.

“So, if Arman’s not getting the title shot, Charles Oliveira – I understand he’s supposed to be the No. 1 contender, but I would say Ilia’s credentials are better at this moment. He’s riding quite the win streak so, I definitely wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, this is a mistake. They shouldn’t have this fight.'”

Dariush can see where Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) is coming from when he says he doesn’t want to fight another featherweight in Topuria, but says this time it’s a little different.

“I think the situation is this, I don’t think Makhachev really wants to fight another ’45’er,” Dariush continued. “He fought (Alexander) Volkanovski because he wanted to be pound-for-pound champion because at that time, Volkanovski was. He beat Volkanovski so he’s kind of over that I would say.

“He doesn’t really want to fight another 145’er. But, the difference now is Ilia is moving up and he’s an actual ’55’er. He’s not going back down to 145. All it requires is for Makhachev to agree. If Makhachev agrees to fight him, I think the fight happens

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UFC’s Beneil Dariush open to rebooking Renato Moicano fight, but says Dan Hooker ‘would be ideal’

Beneil Dariush sees Dan Hooker as a perfect option for his next fight.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] sees [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] as a perfect option for his next fight.

Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) was scheduled to return against [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] at UFC 311 in January, but didn’t end up competing after Moicano was pulled to face lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event. Dariush also put his hand up to step in, but the UFC ultimately went with Moicano.

Moicano (20-6-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) wound up getting quickly submitted by Makhachev. Dariush, who was paid his purse, said the promotion promised to make it up to him. He’d accept rescheduling the Moicano fight, even though he wouldn’t classify that as being rewarded.

“They’ve mentioned that about rebooking that fight, and I’m not against it because I’m not in a situation where I could be like, ‘Oh, I want to fight this guy’ coming off two losses,” Dariush told MMA Junkie.

“So if that’s the fight they want to make, that’s fine. I just figured when Dana (White) said, ‘We’re going to make it up to Dariush,’ I figured it would be somebody ranked actually higher than me, not behind me. So whatever.”

Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) was scheduled to face Justin Gaethje in Saturday’s UFC 313 co-main event, but was forced out after fracturing his hand. He underwent surgery and is targeting a return at UFC 317 on June 28 against Arman Tsarukyan.

If Hooker doesn’t get that fight, Dariush is ready to face him in that timeline.

“Dan Hooker would be ideal because he’s ranked ahead of me, and if he’s trying to come back at International Fight Week, that would be a perfect time,” Dariush said. “That’s perfectly fine with me. I would be very happy with that setup if that’s what they do.”

Dariush also likes how he matches up with Hooker, who’s on a three-fight winning streak.

“I have better tools everywhere,” Dariush said. “I think I can outstrike him, I can outgrapple him, I even think I can outdog him if it’s a three-round fight. I don’t see where he would have an advantage over me.”

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Michael Chandler feels ‘destined for UFC gold’; lists Arman Tsarukyan, Paddy Pimblett, others for UFC return

Michael Chandler has a few names in mind for his campaign back to UFC title contention.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has options.

Looking to bounce back from his defeat to Charles Oliveira in November, the former Bellator champion has several names in mind for a return to the cage. From top contenders to veterans and rising stars, Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) revealed the lengthy list speaking with MMA Junkie Radio in a recent interview.

As far as the top dogs, Chandler wouldn’t mind crossing paths with No. 1 lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan, who unfortunately had to withdraw from a UFC 311 title fight earlier this month due to injury.

“Arman is a possibility because Dana said he’s going to have to build himself back with one more fight,” Chandler said. “Is Charles Oliveira the No. 1 contender? Is Charles Oliveira going to fight for the title next? I don’t know. Obviously, he wouldn’t be my next opponent.”

Chandler has also heard the fan feedback, and wouldn’t mind testing himself with rising star [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag].

“People have thrown out Paddy Pimblett,” Chandler said. “Paddy is a fun fight. I think comparatively, the guys that I’ve fought, the murderers row, coming into the UFC, I welcome that fight. It’s a big fight. It’s a fun fight. I’m a fan of Paddy. I like the way he does things. I like his brand. He’s one of the good ones of the sport. I don’t have to hate somebody to want to separate them from consciousness because that is my goal if I were to fight him. I would also pick him up from the canvas and say, ‘Hey, dust yourself off. You have a bright future.'”

On the veteran side of things, Chandler also listed [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag], and of course, he hasn’t forgotten about [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], despite many fans wanting him to move on from the matchup.

“Dariush, he had his opponent taken last fight,” Chandler said. “There are a lot of names. The UFC lightweight division is and has always been one of the most exciting, deep and stacked divisions. And of course, we have to mention Conor. People can keep poking fun at me, but we’ll see if he can get his house in order. As of late, it doesn’t look like it. That’s always a possibility sometime in the next year.”

All in all, there could be many paths for Chandler, but there’s only one destination in mind. He’s still adamant on becoming a UFC champion and remains confident in his ability to get the job done, despite coming up short once before.

“A lot of options, a lot of exciting options, and I still feel I’m destined for UFC gold,” Chandler said. “I just have to put a couple of wins together.”

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Beneil Dariush on who gives UFC champ Islam Makhachev the toughest fight at lightweight

Beneil Dariush has an interesting pick for the UFC lightweight who has the best chance of dethroning Islam Makhachev.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] has an interesting pick for the UFC lightweight who has the best chance of dethroning [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag].

Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) retained his lightweight title when he submitted Renato Moicano in Round 1 of their UFC 311 headliner  at Intuit Dome. He was originally scheduled to face Arman Tsarukyan, who pulled out just one day before their fight due to a back injury.

Makhachev already holds wins over four of the top six ranked UFC lightweights. While Dariush thinks Tsarukyan would have been a stern test for Makhachev, he sees [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s attributes posing problems.

“You know who would be interesting is Max Holloway,” Dariush told MMA on Sirius XM. “I think Max Holloway could be an interesting fight for Makhachev because he’s hard to hold, he has excellent cardio and he throws a lot of volume, and I think these are things that could be difficult for Makhachev.

“Then, interestingly enough, if you watch the fight with Merab (Dvalishvili), he has excellent cardio and he was able to do so much with that excellent cardio (vs. Nurmagomedov). I don’t remember the last time I saw Holloway in the fourth or the fifth round and he’s slowing down. So I think he has something similar.”

Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) made good in his lightweight return when he put on a striking clinic against Justin Gaethje, before knocking him out with a second left at UFC 300. He returned to featherweight the fight after, but was knocked out by champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.

Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) is yet to fight Makhachev, but is on a two-fight losing skid. After Tsarukyan withdrew from UFC 311, Dariush was cutting weight in hopes of facing Makhachev, but the promotion opted to go with his opponent Moicano instead.

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Beneil Dariush says he was cutting weight to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 311

Beneil Dariush thought he was fighting Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 – or at least he hoped so.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] thought he was fighting [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] at UFC 311 – or at least he hoped so.

When Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of Saturday’s main event against lightweight champion Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC), the UFC needed a replacement opponent. The two most worthy candidates were Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) and Renato Moicano, who were scheduled to face each other on the main card.

Dariush revealed that he was prepping to make championship weight in case, but the UFC wound up giving Moicano (20-6-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) the opportunity instead.

“I get down to 156 actually pretty easily,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “I get down to 156 three hours before weigh-ins, and then I was like, OK, I’ve got one more pound. So I take a little break and then I cut the last pound. I get on the scale 9 a.m., I start rehydrating, I go back to my room and Ali (Abdelaziz) walks in and he says to me, ‘Yeah, so they gave the fight to Moicano. They’re going to take care of you as far as payment – show and win – but you’re not fighting tomorrow.’ I was upset obviously, a chance to fight for the title (went to someone else).

“I was super upset, but I also was like, at least I can take care of my family. But, man, my wife couldn’t hide it at all. You could see it in my wife’s face. When she heard that, I thought she was going to kill Ali. I felt bad for Ali for a second, and I was like, dang, man. She was not happy because all night she thought I was going to fight for the title, and so she’s like, ‘Oh, he has to make 155. The extra pound is not easy.’ Stuff like that. I know it’s going through her mind. So I just had to calm her down a bit, and then I kind of had to process it myself.”

Moicano was submitted by Makhachev in Round 1 at Intuit Dome, and Dariush wasn’t surprised by the outcome.

“I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but I was just like, man, I was telling my wife, I don’t think Moicano has a chance,” Dariush said. “I think he’s going to get taken down. His takedown defense isn’t that good, and it must have been at like the 2:30 mark, I was like, look, Makhachev is going to shoot in the next 30 seconds and then he shoots. I thought Moicano was going to last the round, but he got finished.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

UFC 311 full pre-fight press conference faceoffs: Two title fights, Hill vs. Prochazka, more

The entire stacked UFC 311 main card lineup squared up for the first time on fight week after the pre-fight press conference.

LOS ANGELES – The stars of UFC 311 came face-to-face for the first time during fight week Thursday following the pre-fight press conference.

With fight week festivities ramping into high gear, fighters took the stage to answer questions from the media, then faced off for the first time ahead of the event which takes place at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).

In addition to the [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] and [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] and [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] title fights, other matchups of [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag], [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] also were in attendance and participated in staredowns.

Watch the video above to see the full press conference faceoffs ahead of UFC 311.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Beneil Dariush might look older, but feels great ahead of UFC 311 vs. Renato Moicano

Beneil Dariush was all laughs ahead of UFC 311 as he even tested out some trash talk material about Renato Moicano (sort of).

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] knows he’s overlooked.

Maybe it’s the mature appearance, or the fact that he’s been in the promotion’s lightweight rankings for so long. Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) isn’t positive, but he has a hunch as he heads into his UFC 311 main card showdown Saturday vs. Renato Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC).

“Gray hairs,” Moicano said through a laugh as he spoke to MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I look older than the average person – just in general, my age. I feel great right now. I’m just looking forward to the fight. As far as retirement goes, one day you just know you don’t have it. If that’s the case, we’re done.

“… I think I’m a little bit younger than him. I think I’m a couple months younger than him, but yeah – it’s pretty funny. If that’s the case, one old guy is going to get beat up, basically. … I want to beat that old piece of poop up.”

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Even the word “poop” isn’t usually one that Dariush directs at opponents ahead of fights. He’s not into trash-talking. This time, it was said out of jest, in response to Moicano’s use of a more harsh expletive earlier that day to describe what he planned to do to Dariush.

In all seriousness, Dariush plans to do to Moicano what Moicano plans to do to him. But there’s also a tremendous amount of respect between the two veterans, even if slang terms for human excrement are being thrown around.

“I’d definitely say a similar feeling,” Dariush said. “I’d say he’s obviously a veteran. He’s got a lot of big fights, a lot of experience, all the tools. But I think what makes him special is his game-planning. Him and his team are able to put together a really good game plan.

“For example, his last fight, you could say Benoit maybe is more athletic, more dangerous and all that stuff. But within 30 seconds of the fight, the timing of that takedown, the way he got that takedown, it completely changed that fight. I think that’s more of a strategy. You have to have the skills don’t get me wrong. But the strategy to be able to pull that off, I think that was the change of direction in the fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

UFC 311: Renato Moicano respects Beneil Dariush, but vows ‘to beat the sh*t out of the old man’

UFC lightweight contender Renato Moicano plans on a dominant display against Beneil Dariush at Saturday’s UFC 311.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Although [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] likes and respects his UFC 311 opponent [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag], he plans on beating him up badly.

The UFC lightweight contender made it clear that he plans on stopping Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6 UFC) this Saturday when the two meet on the main card of the UFC’s first pay-per-view of 2025. Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC), who’s older than Dariush by a few days, wants to teach the “old man” a lesson.

“Saturday night, I will beat the sh*t out of Beneil Dariush,” Moicano told reporters at the UFC 311 media day. “It is what it is. I don’t know why people are calling him old because if they call him old, they’re calling me old, because I’m older than him. So don’t call him old. That being said, Saturday I’m going to beat the sh*t out of the old man. Don’t be mad at me. I’m just trying to be funny.”

All jokes aside, Moicano is determined to get his hand raised at UFC 311. He’s aware of the dangers that Dariush poses, but he’s on a mission to extend his winning streak to six in a row and get himself a marquee fight in the division.

“I like him very much, I respect him very much,” Moicano said. “He’s dangerous and has more knockout power than me. He has more knockouts than me. He’s very f*cking awkward. If you remember his fight against Drakkar Klose, he was almost getting knocked out, and then he swung his arms and he got the guy. He’s got good jiujitsu. He’s in a tough position with two losses, and I’m going to make sure he ends in a worst position now because I will beat, doesn’t matter if he’s good or bad. I can’t afford to lose.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

Dan Hooker: Renato Moicano won’t outgrapple Beneil Dariush, faces hard night at the office at UFC 311

Dan Hooker expects Renato Moicano to struggle against Beneil Dariush at UFC 311.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] expects [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] to struggle against [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] at UFC 311.

Lightweights Moicano (20-5-1 MMA, 12-5 UFC) and Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) square off in a lightweight bout on Jan. 18 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

Moicano and Dariush are currently on vastly different career trajectories. Moicano is on a four-fight winning streak, most recently a dominant stoppage win over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Fight Night 243. Meanwhile, Dariush is coming off back-to-back first-round knockout losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.

However, despite his losing skid, Hooker sees Dariush as a bad stylistic matchup for Moicano.

“The way in which (Moicano) beat BSD, (Jalin) Turner and Drew Dober, the style in which he enacted to get those three wins, he cannot do against Beneil Darirush,” Hooker said on Israel Adesanya’s YouTube channel. “He cannot outgrapple Beneil Dariush like he outgrappled those three guys because he’s too good.

“In my opinion, Beneil is technically the best grappler, I would say. Do I see Moicano outgrappling Dariush? Nah. Do I see him even outstriking him? That would be a hard night in the office. Beneil, obviously the question there is about his chin. But is Moicano any way, shape or form a talented striker? No. You cannot say he is.”

Moicano has used his ground game to take out his opponents, but Hooker doesn’t see that being a successful path to victory against Dariush.

“I feel like (Dariush) just shuts Moicano’s game down,” Hooker said. “I feel like positionally, he’s better on the feet. I don’t even see how Moicano gets Beneil to the ground, let alone holding him on the ground. I just believe Beneil shuts Moicano down and kind of cruises to victory and gets back to the win column.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.