UFC lightweight challenger Beneil Dariush reveals his shocking reaction to Alexander Volkanovski’s claims to be the backup for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev in the UFC 280 lightweight title fight.
Dariush (21-4-1 MMA, 15-4-1 UFC), who’s on a seven-fight winning streak, competes with a lightweight contender on the same card.
Dariush had stated back in September that the UFC informed him and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, that he would be the backup for the lightweight title fight that night. These plans seem to have been scrapped after Volkanovski revealed on Monday that he will serve as the official backup.
Beneil seeks confirmation from the UFC as to whether he will be utilized if anything happens to the UFC 280 main event.
Beneil Dariush responds to Alexander Volkanovski’s backup claim
Dariush responded to Volkanovski‘s declaration while also expressing confusion about the UFC’s plans. He stated,
‘Honestly, I’m confused,” Dariush said. “I don’t know if he’s playing games or the UFC is playing games because I was told I’m the fill-in. That’s the whole point of having another lightweight fight on that card, just in case something goes wrong, so I don’t understand what’s going on here. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it, but ultimately I have one goal and that’s Gamrot. But I really thought I was the fill-in, that’s what I was told.”
Since defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 in May 2021, Dariush hasn’t competed in any match. He has defeated Diego Ferreira and Drakkar Klose among his seven victories in a row.
Beneil Dariush has claimed that the UFC told him that he would be the backup to the lightweight title fight at #UFC280.👀🤔 pic.twitter.com/LKcjoiVdtO
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) October 11, 2022
Volkanovski hinted at a move to lightweight immediately following the announcement of the Oliveira/Makhachev booking. He’s currently the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the UFC after a dominant win over Max Holloway at UFC 276.
Since Oliveira missed weight by half a pound the last time he fought for a title, the UFC is sure to have a backup plan for the fight. Alexander Volkanovski says that the UFC gave him the backup spot for the fight between Oliveira and Makhachev, but Dariush thought he was the backup. It looks like there may be some confusion about who will really be the backup for the fight between Oliveira and Makhachev.
