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Beneil Dariush has said that he might abandon his tactical game plan and turn his upcoming matchup with Islam Makhachev into a war.
This comes after the Assyrian-American fighter apparently received criticism for playing it safe in his most recent bout against Tony Ferguson. During an interview with MMA Junkie, Dariush said:
"I had five, I think it was five fights in a row where I was like [earning] finishes, bonuses, whether it be performance or whether it be Fight of the Night... And then I had the Tony [Ferguson] fight. And then people were like, 'Oh man, this guy, he fights like so safe.' And the thing is, every fight, we're supposed to have a game plan. Half the time, I follow the game plan and things go well. The other half times I'd forget the game plan and things still went well. The Tony fight, we followed the game plan 100%. Now everybody keeps talking like this, I'm like, 'You know what? Maybe I'll just toss it all in the air and just let's see who can dig deeper. Let's see who's willing to just go further.' If it comes out impressive, great. If not, it's going to be a war either way."
No.3-ranked Dariush will collide with No.4-ranked Makhachev in the main event of the UFC's February 26th Fight Night card. It will be an all-important clash in the 155 lbs division as the winner will presumably earn a title shot.
Check out Beneil Dariush's interview below:
Beneil Dariush says Khabib Nurmagomedov is creating a 'drama show' with Islam Makhachev
Khabib Nurmagomedov recently claimed that the UFC offered his teammate, Islam Makhachev, a double-bonus if he can finish Beneil Dariush. However, Dariush says he's unfazed by Nurmagomedov's tactics.
According to Dariush, 'The Eagle' was merely stirring the pot in hopes of throwing him off his game. In an interview with ESPN, Dariush stated:
"I don’t know if I feel like I’m in competition with [Khabib], but I feel like, maybe, he’s trying to do a little bit of a drama show. Like when he talks about contracts and how Islam is getting a bonus to finish me and stuff like that. You know, I feel like he’s throwing a little digs in there, which, in reality, I think is funny."
Khabib Nurmagomedov on Beneil Dariush vs. Islam Makhachev:
