For UFC veteran Beneil Dariush, money has never been the driving force behind his career. After UFC 311, where he earned money without stepping into the octagon against Renato Moicano, Dariush made it clear that it wasn’t the “best-case scenario” for him. In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, he opened up about how not fighting left him feeling ‘stuck in limbo.’
“Money’s not the goal, being the best in the world is the goal. If I can’t perform, I’m basically stuck in limbo, and that’s what it feels like. I understand the benefits of it as a family man…But my goal is still to be the best in the world.”
This is not a new stance from the #9 ranked lightweight. Earlier, Dariush had claimed that if he didn’t win enough to be amongst the best in the world, he doesn’t see himself continuing with the sport.
“If I can only stay outside of the top 15, I don’t want to fight. If I can’t be the best, I don’t want to do this. There are so many other things I can do other than fighting. If I am not trying to be the best, it’s not worth it.”
Dariush was originally scheduled to face Moicano at UFC 311. But when Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of the title fight against Islam Makhachev due to injury, Moicano stepped in, leaving Dariush without an opponent.
Despite the situation, the UFC ensured Dariush was compensated for it.
Beneil Dariush announces that the UFC will pay him both his SHOW and WIN money following the UFC 311 main event change:
“It’s excellent, I can’t complain. They’re giving me both show and win money…I appreciate Dana, I appreciate the UFC, I appreciate Hunter”
@TheSchmo312… pic.twitter.com/cx7vUgTIYm
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 18, 2025
UFC President Dana White has promised that Dariush will be fine as they will figure out something for him soon.
Dana White about the replacement of Beneil Dariush#UFC311 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/jWdWnGxG9B
— FEDZ_MMA (@Fedzmma) January 17, 2025
Well, one can only hope since Dariush already has an opponent in mind and that is none other than Dustin Poirier.
Dariush wants Poirier next
Poirier has been considering calling it a day since his failure to capture the undisputed lightweight title from Islam Makhachev at UFC 302. However, the Louisiana native still has one more fight left in the tank. Currently, a few names have also been thrown around as his potential opponent.
A trilogy with Justin Gaethje could be on the horizon as much as a Max Holloway BMF title fight. Then there’s Ilia Topuria with his lofty ambitions at 155 lbs. However, if Dariush had his way, he would be the one to see off Poirier.
“If I had a preference, I would put Dustin Poirier as the one I want to fight,” Dariush said.
But he didn’t stop there. To make sure his callout gets the attention he believes it deserves, he playfully added the following –
“Let’s make sure for social the headlines says, ‘Beneil Dariush Claims Dustin Poirier Scared To Death And Ducking And Ducking.'”@beneildariush on why Dustin Poirier makes sense for his next opponent
Source: MMA Today w/@RJcliffordMMA & @RyanMcKinnell pic.twitter.com/56qYN7FJAA
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 23, 2025
Now, the real question is, will Poirier accept or is he waiting for bigger fish?
