Tag: Beneil Dariush

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Israel Adesanya, Zhang Weili and UFC 248’s key winning fighters?

See whom champs Israel Adesanya and Zhang Weili should fight next after their title defenses at UFC 248.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Yoel Romero, Joanna Jedrzejczyk after UFC 248 losses?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 248’s key winning fighters.

Those include [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who defeated Yoel Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) by unanimous decision to defend his middleweight belt in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who edged Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) by split decision to retain the strawweight belt in the co-headliner, as well as [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC), [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (22-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) and [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

* * * *

Sean O’Malley

Brian Kelleher

Should fight: [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]
Why they should fight: O’Malley returned to the octagon in resounding fashion after two years away and showed that he’s still a top bantamweight prospect by putting away Jose Quinonez with an impressive – and fast – first-round finish.

Now undefeated, it’s time for “Suga” to take a step up in competition and see if the talent really matches the hype. He’s able to show out against fighters who aren’t in his league, but what about against someone who should be far more competitive against him?

Sure, Kelleher (20-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC) hasn’t proven himself to be a worldbeater, but he has more experience than O’Malley, has fought better opponents and has better wins. He called for the fight after O’Malley’s win, and the UFC should give it to him.

[vertical-gallery id=497708]

Neil Magny

Michael Chiesa

Should fight: [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]
Why they should fight: After a 16-month layoff, Magny returned in fine form and picked up a solid unanimous decision win against Li Jingliang, who has been doing some good things in the welterweight division in recent years.

Immediately after the fight, Magny had a name ready to go for who he wanted next. That name was Chiesa, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over former champ Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN+ 25 in January that moved him to 3-0 as a welterweight.

Chiesa promptly took to social media and accepted to the callout, and with both sides invested, this one makes itself.

[vertical-gallery id=497764]

Beneil Dariush

Gregor Gillespie

Should fight: [autotag]Gregor Gillespie[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Dariush extended his winning streak to four fights with one of the best knockouts so far this year. He stopped Drakkar Klose with an absurd punch in the second round of their lightweight matchup, and now it seems Dariush is on the cusp of breaking back into the top 15 of the weight class.

Dariush has been in and out of the rankings over the years, but with three consecutive stoppage wins, he hasn’t seen this type of momentum before. It puts him in position to get a name opponent at 155 pounds, and Gillespie (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is available.

Gillespie is coming off a heinous knockout loss to Kevin Lee at UFC 244 in November, but from all indications is looking to book his next fight sometime in the coming months. Dariush said he’ll be ready to get back to work after his upcoming honeymoon, and it certainly has the ingredients for a solid fight.

[vertical-gallery id=497818]

Zhang Weili

Rose Namajunas

Should fight: [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] or [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Weili should fight Rose Namajunas (if she wins at UFC 249) or rematch Jedrzejczyk next for her second title defense.

[vertical-gallery id=497846]

Israel Adesanya

Paulo Costa

Should fight: [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Adesanya should fight Costa (12-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) next for his second title defense.

[vertical-gallery id=497932]

6 biggest takeaways from UFC 248: Adesanya’s effort, Jedrzejczyk’s heartbreak and more

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 248, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.

What mattered most at UFC 248 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …

* * * * *

1. Israel Adesanya not to blame

One of the primary storylines coming out of the main event between [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] and [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] is who is more to blame for the underwhelming headliner, which ultimately saw Adesanya retain his middleweight title by unanimous decision.

For me, it has to be Romero (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC), the challenger. Although I don’t agree with the whole “To be the champ, you have to beat the champ” cliche, there’s an aspect of truth to it. Adesanya (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) came into the fight as the champion, and whether it’s a spectacular win, a boring win or a draw, he keeps the belt. Of course we wish every champion would put on scintillating performances, but as Adesanya said post fight, he’s the one with everything to lose in this scenario, from his title to sponsorships to the money that comes with holding down the throne.

[lawrence-related id=498013,498036,497986]

Did Adesanya frustrate some fans? Sure. Did he lose some? Possibly. But it reminds me in a way of Georges St-Pierre in his prime. He had many title defenses in which fans left displeased with him, but he still remained one of the most popular figures in the sport, and for the most part people came back for the next one.

You can bet that will happen here for Adesanya’s next title defense against Paulo Costa later this year.

[vertical-gallery id=497932]

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

Beneil Dariush wants quick turnaround after another bonus – but after his honeymoon

Take a look inside Beneil Dariush’s win over Drakkar Klose at UFC 248 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] beat Drakkar Klose with a second-round knockout Saturday on the main card at UFC 248 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Dariush, who picked up his fourth straight win and third straight finish. It also was his first knockout win since June 2016.

Result: Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:00
Updated records: Dariush (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC), Klose (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
Key stat: Klose suffered the first stoppage loss of his career.

Dariush on the fight’s key moment

“It feels great to get the win. I thought it was going to be a submission, but I’ll take that, too. I had his back forever, so in the second round my legs were a little wobbly and I knew I had to use my arms more. … I honestly didn’t know that last shot connected so well, but once I saw him go down I knew it was over.”

Dariush on being willing to trade

“I think I have to work on getting my chokes in with the gloves. It’s too easy to grab my fingers and defend, so I have to figure that out. I knew I was tired in the second round, but I was confident in my cardio and recovery, so I just kept moving forward. He hit me pretty hard, but I wasn’t hurt. I just have this problem where if you hit me, then I’m fine with trading and seeing what happens. (It’s) probably not the best habit, but I’ll work on that.”

Dariush on what he wants next

“(I have) a lot of emotions going on. … I promised my wife I’d take her on a honeymoon since we just got married and I went right into a full training camp. But I can stay in shape in that time. If I’m not injured, ideally a quicker return – not six months. Six months is too long. … If you get out of the war zone too long, it’s really hard to get back in.”

To hear more from Dariush, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

[vertical-gallery id=497818]

[vertical-gallery id=497193]

UFC 248 post-event facts: Numbers support Weili vs. Jedrzejczyk as an all-time title fight

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 248, which saw Israel Adesanya beat Yoel Romero in the main event.

The UFC returned to Las Vegas for the second time this year on Saturday with UFC 248, which took place at T-Mobile Arena with a main card that aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

Two title fights sat atop the card, and neither champion was unseated. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (19-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) kept ahold of his middleweight strap with a unanimous decision win over [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the main event, while [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) managed retain her strawweight title by edging out [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in a split decision.

For more on the numbers to come out of the title bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 40 post-event facts from UFC 248.

* * * *

General

[vertical-gallery id=497193]

The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $257,000.

Weili, Jedrzejczyk, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC 248 fight-night bonuses.

Debuting fighters went 0-1 on the card.

UFC 248 drew an announced attendance of 15,077 for a live gate of $2,742,906.20.

Betting favorites went 8-3 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 5-2 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 11-bout card was 2:16:14.

Main card

Israel Adesanya

Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is third longest among active UFC fighters behind Khabib Nurmagomedov (28) and Zhang (21).

Adesanya’s 19-fight winning streak is the longest among active UFC middleweights.

Adesanya’s eight-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.

Romero’s three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.

Romero fell to 1-4 in his past five fights dating back to July 2017.

Romero has suffered all four of his UFC losses by decision.

Zhang Weili

Weili extended her winning streak to 21 fights. She hasn’t suffered a defeat since her MMA debut in November 2013.

Weili’s 21-fight winning streak is the second longest among all fighters on the UFC roster behind Nurmagomedov (28).

Weili’s five-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is with Tatiana Suarez and Yan Xiaonan for the longest active streak in the division.

Weili and Jedrzejczyk combined for 351 significant strikes landed, the third most in UFC title-fight history. Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega hold the record with 400 total at UFC 231.

Jedrzejczyk fell to 2-4 in her past six fights dating back to when she lost the UFC strawweight title in November 2017.

Jedrzejczyk is one of two fighters UFC history to land 100 or more significant strikes in eight separate fights. Max Holloway also accomplished the feat.

Jedrzejczyk has suffered three of her four career losses by decision.

Dariush’s (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) 12 UFC lightweight victories since 2014 are the most in the division.

[autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

Neil Magny

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]’s (22-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Georges St-Pierre (19) and Matt Hughes (16).

Magny’s 15 victories since 2013 in UFC competition are second most among active fighters in the company behind Donald Cerrone (17).

Magny has earned nine of his 15 UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has suffered five of his six career losses by decision.

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) improved to 8-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 3-6 UFC) fell to 1-4 in his past five UFC appearances dating back to July 2018.

Griffin has suffered seven of his eight career losses by decision.

Preliminary card

Sean O’Malley

O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned eight of 11 career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered three of his four career losses by decision. That includes both of his UFC defeats.

[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag] (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned all seven of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished both of his UFC wins by submission.

[autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag] (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was unsuccessful in his middleweight debut.

Safarov has suffered all of his career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag] (30-12 MMA, 6-4 UFC) has earned 28 of his 30 carer victories by stoppage. That includes all six of his UFC wins.

[autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag] (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered consecutive losses after starting his career 6-0.

Winn suffered the first submission loss of his career.

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by (split) decision.

[autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag] (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

[vertical-gallery id=497846]

[vertical-gallery id=497932]

UFC 248 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $32 million

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 248 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $257,000.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 248 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $257,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 248 took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

The full UFC 248 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: $40,000
def. [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag]: $30,000

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jose Quinonez[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Mark Madsen[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Saparbek Safarov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Deron Winn[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Guido Cannetti[/autotag]: $5,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,083,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $32,088,000

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 248 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $265,000.

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC 248 with Aerosmith, Lupe Fiasco

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC 248 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

Inside, see what the fighters from UFC 248 went with as their backing tracks in Las Vegas.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12

UFC 248 bonuses: If Zhang-Jedrzejczyk wasn’t ‘Fight of the Night,’ people would’ve rioted

Zhang Weili, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Beneil Dariush and Sean O’Malley each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances a UFC 248.

[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag], [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag], [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] each earned $50,000 bonuses for their performances at Saturday’s UFC 248 event.

Weili and Jedrzejczyk earned the “Fight of the Night,” while Dariush and O’Malley each won “Performance of the Night” honors. UFC officials announced the winners following the event.

Weili (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) defended her women’s strawweight title with a split decision over former champion Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in the co-main event. The output from each fighter was off the charts. Zhang threw more than 400 total strikes, and Jedrzejczyk threw nearly 400. And while Jedrzejczyk outstruck the champ 186-165, her face was a virtual horror show by the fight’s end, including a hematoma the width of her entire forehead.

There’s a fairly easy case to be made that it was the best fight in women’s MMA history, and it’s already an early candidate for “Fight of the Year.” The bout was Weili’s first title defense after winning the belt in 2019. And though Jedrzejczyk remains the most dominant champion in the division’s history with six title wins, she now has dropped four straight title fights, including an attempt a division up at flyweight.

[lawrence-related id=497289,497993,497929]

[vertical-gallery id=497846]

One fight before that on the main card, Dariush (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) and Drakkar Klose (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) made a case for “Fight of the Night” until it was understandably topped by the co-main event. After Klose fought off lengthy submission attempts from Dariush in the first round, he gathered some momentum in the second and hurt Dariush with his hands and had him on the ropes. But when he came forward in an attempt to put him away, Dariush caught him, wobbled him, backed him up, then finished him with a punch that knocked Klose’s mouthpiece out.

[vertical-gallery id=497818]

And to close the preliminary card, O’Malley (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) returned after a little more than two years on the sidelines due to issues with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. He showed no signs of rust when he landed a head kick and followed it up with punches to put Jose Quinonez (8-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) away in the first round in vicious fashion.

[vertical-gallery id=497708]

[vertical-gallery id=497193]

UFC 248 results: Beneil Dariush knocks out Drakkar Klose in spectacular fashion

What a finish for Beneil Dariush, who picked up his first knockout win since 2016.

[vertical-gallery id=497818]

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] didn’t need jiu-jitsu to win at UFC 248.

The UFC veteran scored one of the best finishes of his career at Saturday’s UFC 248 pay-per-view event at the T-Mobile Arena, but it didn’t come by way of his nifty ground game. Dariush (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) knocked out [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] in the second round of their lightweight contest after a wild exchange that had the crowd on its feet.

The final seconds were completely opposite to what went down in the first round. For the majority of the opening round, Dariush controlled Klose (11-1-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) as he had taken his back and worked for a standing rear-naked choke.

In the second round, Klose attempted to make up for lost ground and came out swinging hard at Dariush. Klose connected, wobbled Dariush and began to pressure him looking for the finish. But instead of going into defense mode, the Iranian fighter stayed in the pocket and managed to switch the momentum with a hard hook, hurting Klose.

Once rocked, Dariush followed up with a brutal left hook that sent Klose straight to the canvas. It was Dariush’s first KO win since stopping James Vick in 2016.

[lawrence-related id=497169,497166,497179]

Dariush is now on a four-fight winning streak and finds himself in a promising position in the UFC’s lightweight division.

The 155-pound bout was part of the UFC 248 main card at T-Mobile Arena. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 248 results include:

Israel Adesanya ($500k), Yoel Romero ($350k) lead UFC 248 disclosed salaries

Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will take home a cool half-million, win or lose, at UFC 248. But what about Zhang Weili?

Middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] will take home a cool half-million, win or lose, at UFC 248.

Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is scheduled to make $500,000 with no potential win bonus for his main event title fight against challenger [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Romero is set to make $350,000 with no win bonus.

In the co-main event, former women’s strawweight champion and now title challenger [autotag]Joanna Jedrzejczyk[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) actually will make more than defending champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) with a win. Jedrzejczyk is set to make $106,000 to show and another $106,000 to win. Weili is scheduled to make $100,000 to show and another $100,000 to win.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (17-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) can make $70,000 to show and double that to win against [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] (11-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who is set to make $40,000/$40,000.

[autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC) can make $76,000/$76,000 in his welterweight fight against [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 9-3 UFC), who is scheduled to make $64,000/$64,000.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (20-8-1 MMA, 9-6 UFC) is scheduled for $64,000/$64,000 at featherweight against [autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 3-5 UFC), who can make $35,000/$35,000.

Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole reported the salaries from the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Now, the usual disclaimer: The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC 248 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC oftentimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.

For example, UFC officials will hand out additional $50,000 bonuses for “Performance of the Night” and/or “Fight of the Night” honors.

In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.

Drakkar Klose aims to finish ‘flat-footed’ and ‘chinny’ Beneil Dariush at UFC 248

Drakkar Klose sees Beneil Dariush as a sitting target, looking to hand him another stoppage loss.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag] sees [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] as a sitting target.

Klose (11-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) takes on Dariush (17-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) on the UFC 248 main card Saturday looking to notch his fourth win in a row. Although Klose hasn’t scored a finish in almost five years, he envisions taking out Dariush, who’s last two losses have come by knockout.

“He’s real flat-footed, he’s slow on the feet, he’s real chinny,” Klose told MMA Junkie at Thursday’s media day. “He’s almost visited Jesus a couple of times. I’m not trying to sit him there right now, but he’s been on the doorstep.”

The pair originally was scheduled to fight last July, but an injury forced Dariush out, and the fight was subsequently scrapped.

An unamused Klose expressed his frustration towards Dariush for pulling out at the time, but just days ahead of their rescheduled bout he’s happy to see him make it this time.

“I’m glad he showed up,” Klose said. “I guess those toes really hurt him last time, so I’m just glad he’s here, and we’re gonna put on a show Saturday night.”

[lawrence-related id=496762,496865]

But it’s all water under the bridge for Klose who’s taken a different approach this time around.

“I’ve been going to a sports psychologist, and we’ve been talking a lot about partnership,” Klose said. “I need Beneil to show up and bring the best out of me, so I hope he’s injury free, had a great camp, because it’s just going to make me better.

“Just mentally, I used to go into fights thinking of it as a war, but now it’s a partnership. He’s only going to make me better – win, lose, or draw. I’m just going to get better from the experience.”

UFC 248 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full UFC 248 pre-fight interview with Klose in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=433131]