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UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush believes it is high time the promotion starts treating him like a top contender and matches him up with opponents ranked in the top five of the 155 lbs division.
Despite securing a big unanimous decision win against Diego Ferreira in tonight's UFC Vegas 18 card, Beneil Dariush cut a frustrated figure in the post-fight interview. Initially, it seemed like he slammed the UFC matchmakers for refusing to match him up against a top-ranked opponent.
During the post-fight interview, Dariush said the following:
“I’ve got to say something, this is really bothering me. Diego should have fought a top five guy. I should have fought a top five guy. We have tough win streaks. We fought everybody. We never say no to anybody. But instead of giving us a top five guy, Diego I still think he deserves a top 10 guy. I’d feel a little disrespected if I was Diego. I know I feel a little disrespected.”
However, Beneil Dariush's latest tweet indicates that he was, in fact, talking about the top-ranked fighters in the lightweight division who refuse to fight him because of the 'high risk and low reward' involved.
He even clarified that Sean Shelby, who is the UFC matchmaker for the lightweight division, had actually tried to pair him against a top-five opponent. But it seems like the creme de la creme of the 155 lbs division weren't interested in the matchup.
"I think I need to clear this up. @seanshelby has been trying to get me a top 5 or 10 for while but it takes 2 people to make a fight. I'm tired of being considered high risk and low reward."
What lies ahead for Beneil Dariush?
It seems like the economic viability of fighting someone like Beneil Dariush is what stands in the way of him being booked against a top contender. The top-ranked fighters in the division have their sights set either on title fights or on money-fights against the likes of Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, and so on.
Can you really blame them, though? At the end of the day, the fighters compete for the biggest possible prize, be it a title or a million-dollar payday. But where does that leave Beneil Dariush? The man is on an impressive six-fight winning streak inside the Octagon.
Before his rematch against Ferreira tonight, Dariush scored a spectacular first-round spinning back-fist knockout victory over Scott Holtzman back in August 2020.
There is no doubt that Beneil Dariush is the real deal with six straight wins under his belt. Hopefully, his next fight will be against a top-ranked fighter in the lightweight division.
