Beneil Dariush was supposed to fight Charles Oliveira at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, in three weeks, but Charles withdrew from the bout due to an injury. Dariush recently shared his thoughts on why he believes the former champion may have sustained an injury just before UFC 288.
Although Dariush vs. Do Bronx was the co-main event of UFC 288, some MMA fans were more interested in this bout than the one between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo, which will serve as the main event. The Brazilian was expected get back to the winning track in this bout, and the Iranian fighter had a chance to continue his eight fight win streak.
Charles Oliveira is OUT of his UFC 288 fight against Beneil Dariush due to an undisclosed injury. #UFC #UFC288 pic.twitter.com/Uf2mCiQOp1
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) April 14, 2023
Beneil Dariush responds to Charles Oliveira’s choice to leave the fight.
In UFC 280, Beneil made his last appearance inside the octagon. Mateusz Gamrot’s four-match winning streak was snapped by the Iranian fighter in Abu Dhabi. Islam Makhachev was crowned the new lightweight champion of the UFC on the same night that Charles Oliveira lost his crown.
Fans were therefore quite excited when the fighters who had contrasting outcomes on the same night were scheduled to face off to open the year. Dariush now holds Oliveira accountable for not exercising caution and acting recklessly prior to such a crucial battle in his life.
“When I was looking at him throughout this whole thing. I’m seeing him in like, Australia. I’m seeing him with big back tattoos. And I don’t feel like he was as focused and motivated. If you’re not motivated, man, it’s hard to make it to the fight.” Dariush said.
The black belt holder in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, is having an incredible run in his MMA career. The Iranian fighter has won each of his eight fights in the last four years. Dariush most probably had greater goals in mind if he could defeat the former lightweight champion. Charles ruined the celebration, and the fourth-ranked fighter in the division can’t lay enough blame for it.
“And then you jump into camp, not focused, not motivated. You’re trying to push really hard to make up for lost time. So, injuries are more likely to happen. That’s kind of what I was thinking. Motivation is a big thing for fighters.” Dariush added.
Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush has been pushed back to #UFC289 on June 10th in Vancouver, Canada đ¨đŚ
Notable fights so far :
Amanda Nunes vs. Juliana PeĂąa 3
Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira
Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr
Matt Schnell⌠pic.twitter.com/fidJq532u4— Combat Sports Today đ° (@CSTodayNews) April 16, 2023
The most recent information is that Dariush, however, has reached an extensive agreement with Dana White since he agreed to reschedule the fight for UFC 289 on June 10 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, subject to two conditions.
The first requirement is a pay increase, and the second is that Dariush would face Islam in the following match for the title if Charles failed once more.
Do you believe that, after being postponed the first two times, a big battle between Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira is actually going to materialize the third time? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
