"The UFC, they never give you guarantees" - Beneil Dariush hoping to fight Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev winner; predicts fight outcome

Beneil Dariush was scheduled to face Islam Makhachev in a title eliminator bout but was forced to withdraw due to injury. After Charles Oliveira beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 274, Khabib Nurmagomedov called for Oliveira vs. Makhachev to determine the new lightweight champion in the wake of the vacant belt.

The fight was announced a few days ago as the headliner for UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on October 22. On the same card, Beneil Dariush will face Mateusz Gamrot in a fight that could be a high-level grappling chess match.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, Dariush spoke about the fight and his hopes of it serving as a title eliminator:

"That's what I'm assuming too [that the winner of his fight will compete for the belt]. I don't see how we're gonna find any way around it. The UFC, they never give you guarantees, but I'm just assuming it is what it is, alright?"

Dariush vs. Makhachev was a fight that many fans were looking forward to. Charles Oliveira insisted that the Dagestani must get past 'Benny' to get a title shot.

However, it has now been confirmed that Makhachev's next fight will be for gold. Sitting in the No.6 spot in the division, Beneil Dariush was hoping to fight No.2 ranked Dustin Poirier, however, 'Benny' will have to make peace with fighting No.9 ranked Mateusz Gamrot.

Watch Beneil Dariush's full interview with The Schmo below:

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Beneil Dariush breaks down Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev

During the same segment, the Kings MMA fighter analyzed Oliveira vs. Makhachev and explained how he thinks the fight will play out:

"Charles comes out aggressive and he has to find his distance to make those knees, kicks, punches land. And I see Islam focusing on octagon control, controlling the distance to look for that takedown. Once he finds the takedown, he can implement his game plan. But if Charles has good takedown defense or is threatening with the submissions, it's gonna be a long night for Islam. And vice versa, if Islam can get the takedown, it's gonna be a long night for Charles."

The Assyrian-American also predicted that the fight could probably end with a finish. When asked about his prediction for the winner who he could potentially fight in the future, Dariush said:

"I'm leaning towards Islam, but man, I think it's 50-50. I think Charles can pull it off too because he's big, he's got range, he's got skills, he's not a slouch on the ground... I would lean towards Islam, but maybe not. I'd say 50-50."

Beneil Dariush highlighted that outside of Arman Tsarukyan, Islam Makhachev hasn't fought too many high-level grapplers in the UFC. That said, the Dagestani phenom has an extensive background in sambo and wrestling, having been coached by the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Islam Makhachev will hope to continue the Nurmagomedov legacy by capturing the vacant belt and bringing it to Dagestan for the first time since Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement.