"He knew before we all did" - Ali Abdelaziz claims Khabib Nurmagomedov predicted Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush No.1 contender fight a year-and-a-half ago

Following the announcement of the lightweight contender bout between Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush, Ali Abdelaziz has revealed that Khabib Nurmagomedov predicted the matchup would be made over a year ago.

Dariush and Makhachev are both ranked within the top five of the 155-pound division. However, with Justin Gaethje looking likely to face the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier, both men need a win over a similarly-ranked opponent to secure their status as the next number one contender.

ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto recently reported a comment made to him by manager Ali Abdelaziz. According to the Dominance MMA CEO, Khabib Nurmagomedov stated over a year ago that Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dairiush would one day fight for number one contendership.

"Per Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00), who manages both … 'These two have worked their whole lives to become a champion and this is a No. 1 contender match. Khabib (@TeamKhabib) actually said 1.5 years ago these two would fight for No. 1 contender. He knew before we all did.'”

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Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush's UFC careers so far

Both Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush represent a new wave of elite lightweights who have truly risen to the top following the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020.

Makhachev signed for the UFC in 2015 and has steadily climbed the rankings with a number of impressive victories. The lone loss on his record came against Adriano Martins at UFC 192. However, the 30-year-old has not lost a fight since then and currently sits at No.4 in the lightweight rankings.

The Dagestani's last three fights, against Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises and Drew Dober, all ended via submission. Makhachev has also shown his ability to go the distance, outpointing the likes of Arman Tsarukyan and Davi Ramos.

Beneil Dariush, meanwhile, has been in the UFC a year longer than Islam Makhachev, signing for the promotion in 2014. Despite only being brought in slightly earlier, the 32-year-old has competed significantly more times than Makhachev. The Iranian-American boasts 20 UFC fights on his record compared to the Dagestani's 11.

Over the course of his 20 outings, Dariush has faced some of the UFC's top fighters, picking up wins over the likes of Tony Ferguson, Carlos Diego Ferreira (twice) and Drakkar Klose.

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