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Beneil Dariush has revealed why he was disappointed after former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport.
In an interview with Andrew Whitelaw of Sportskeeda MMA, Dariush hailed Nurmagomedov as the greatest lightweight of all time. The Assyrian-American then went on to add that he was sad because he missed out on the opportunity to fight the undefeated Russian.
"Yeah, I mean [Khabib is] the greatest lightweight of all time. If you don't want to fight the greatest lightweight of all time, what are you doing here? Get out of here," Dariush said.
Dariush further praised Khabib Nurmagomedov for being a very active champion. He was impressed by the way the Russian conducted himself as a champion and how he kept the division moving. Dariush also took a slight dig at former winner Conor McGregor for being inactive when he held the title.
Beneil Dariush says the winner of UFC 262 main event will be an active champion
Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler will lock horns in the main event of UFC 262 with the vacant lightweight title on the line. Beneil Dariush believes whoever becomes the new UFC lightweight champion at UFC 262 will be an active champion, unlike Conor McGregor.
"I think both Chandler and Oliveira are going to be active champions. They are not going to just hang back and you know, we had Conor being champion for a while and he didn't really defend the belt. And we've had Khabib who was great and kept defending the belt. To be honest, a part of me is very disappointed he retired but I think overall, this is a good thing. I think the fact that two active guys are fighting for the belt is a great thing," he said.
Beneil Dariush is set to take on former interim champion Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of UFC 262 this weekend. Dariush will look to inch closer to the much-coveted title shot by beating Ferguson on the night.
