After what seems like an eternity, lightweight Beniel Drioche finally gets a shot at sponsoring the big time co-main event bout with Charles Oliveira at UFC 289 next month.
The high-profile pairing has undoubtedly been in the works for some time, and was only supposed to land at UFC 288 just two weeks ago. Oliveira’s injury has delayed the fight for a month, and Dariush (22-4-1) appears to be chomping.
“I’m just excited to finish it at this point. It’s been a long camp, and I’m dying to fight,” the 34-year-old told Cageside Press recently.
In a division packed with challengers including Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, who apparently weren’t far from a crack at gold, a Bayan win may be necessary to secure a title shot. But Dariush believes this has already been done with the promotion.
“I’m sure it’s already been decided that I’ll be the number one contender after this fight. Either way, I’ll get that belt.”
Moving to UFC 289 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada actually has an upside for Dariusz, who resides and trains in California.
“I think it’s actually easier, because it’s the same time zone,” Drisseau noted. “It’s the same time zone, and the distance is actually closer.”
As for the match, Beniel Darius expects nothing less than pyrotechnics. Having eight straight wins over the likes of Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Jamrot, among others, he also believes in his ability to shut out former champion Oliveira early.
“It must be great, right? It must be fireworks,” Dariush predicted. “But if I’m as good as I think I am, I should be able to hit him pretty quickly.”
Dariush hasn’t lost a fight since 2018; He holds four post-fight bonuses for his current eight-win streak. A victory over Oliveira would certainly make it difficult to deny him the chance to hit champion Islam Makhachev.
Watch our full interview with UFC 289 lightweight Benil Dariusz above.