No. 6-ranked UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush recently questioned if Dustin Poirier rejected a 155-pound fight with him.
Poirier, who is ranked No. 2 as per the official UFC standings, hasn’t competed since his effort to earn undisputed gold at UFC 269 in December, losing to Charles Oliveira via third-round rear-naked choke.
For months, “The Diamond” has been vocal about wanting to return to the Octagon as soon as possible. But, with Dariush recently getting booked to fight No. 9-ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 on October 22, Dariush is wondering if Poirier turned him down.
“We asked the UFC for Dustin Poirier,” Dariush said in a recent interview with MMA Junkie (h/t MMA News). “And it’s not really clear, I don’t know if Dustin turned me down or the UFC never even asked Dustin because I felt a guy like me, let’s be honest. I’m not a superstar, and the scary thing about me is I pretty much eat the star and I don’t become the star.
“So it’s a bit of a tricky situation. It’s possible they didn’t even ask him. If I could, I’d like to ask Dustin, ‘Hey, did they actually offer you the fight?’”
Dariush Will Look to Extend His Win Streak to 8 in October
Dariush (21-4-1) last fought during UFC 262 in May 2021 when he bested Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision. He was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev in February in what was presumed to be a No. 1-contender bout, however the American pulled out of the contest with an ankle injury.
Healed up, Dariush is ready to get back to work and he’ll take on the surging Gamrot, who is riding a four-fight win streak. Gamrot’s (21-1, 1 N/C) most recent win came during UFC on ESPN 38 last month when he defeated Arman Tsarukyan in the night’s headlining act by unanimous decision.
Dariush Wants to See Poirier Fight Justin Gaethje Next
If Dariush was the UFC’s matchmaker, he’d pit The Diamond against Justin Gaethje next. “If anything, it would be Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje,” Dariush told ESPN. “I haven’t been in the top five that long, but I feel like the ideal situation is to fight each other.”
Gaethje last fought in May at UFC 274 when he had his chance to become an undisputed UFC champion. The fight didn’t go “The Highlight’s” way, however, losing to Oliveira in the first round by rear-naked choke.
The fighter revealed last month that he’ll be on the shelf while recovering from nose surgery. And once he’s back, he’s ready to make a third run for the lightweight championship.
“I’m going to get nose surgery July 14,” Gaethje said via Bloody Elbow. “Take a good month to recover and get back to work. I think end of the year, most likely early next year. There’s a few fights that are going to happen, so I’ll let those happen. I want to clear two [or] three-fight path back to the title fight. I want to earn it, like I should, but I have a great manager, so I’m not worried about it too much. I’ll be ready to fight.
“I’ve been waiting for 13 years for someone in MMA to break my nose and it hasn’t happened. I broke it in wrestling practice 13 years ago, and life’s been hell since then. I have to wear a nose drip to bed every single night. Eating, sleeping, living, training, fighting. I’m not sure. I don’t even know what my f****** voice sounds like. I’ve been waiting for a long time to get this broken. No one has done it, so I’m going to do it myself and give it one last run towards the title.”
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Star Questions Dustin Poirier About Rejecting Important UFC Lightweight Fight