Beneil Dariush has given his two cents on the potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria super-fight. Fans want to see this bout soon, and Makhachev and Topuria recently reaffirmed their mutual desire to lock horns.
However, Makhachev has clearly stated that he won’t move back down to 155 pounds to battle “El Matador” unless the UFC comes up with a very good deal that makes it worthwhile for the 34-year-old to endure such a drastic weight cut.
The Russian fighter vacated his 155-pound championship last year and moved up after registering four successful title defenses. On his welterweight debut at UFC 322, he dethroned Jack Della Maddalena and attained two-division glory.
Similarly, Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight championship after one successful title defense, moved up, knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, and conquered the lightweight throne.
The Georgian-Spaniard doesn’t mind moving up to 170 pounds to fight Islam Makhachev, as he would have the chance to become the first three-division champion in UFC history.
However, Dariush believes it’s a bad idea.
Beneil Dariush Weighs In on Potential Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev Superfight
During a recent interview with MMA TODAY, Beneil Dariush lauded Ilia Topuria’s well-roundedness as a fighter, pointing out that “El Matador” knows when to close distance and change gears. However, the Iranian-American fighter still doubts Topuria’s chances against Islam Makhachev at 170 pounds. Here’s why:
I think he [Ilia Topuria] is pretty incredible. I think he is a very well-rounded fighter. I think he understands distance and he understands when to change gears… As far as fighting Islam, I just think there’s a big size difference. The fight at 155 would be much better for Ilia Topuria. At 155, Ilia has a very good shot; at 170, I don’t think so.”
Dariush added:
At 155 [pounds], I would have put it 50-50; if anything, I would have probably favored Ilia because he doesn’t have to cut a lot of weight. He is pretty strong for the division. He has massive punching power. He has great jiu-jitsu… If the fight goes into rounds 3, 4, 5, he is gonna be the fresher guy, as he is not cutting weight. But at 170 [pounds], it’s a massive weight difference, and Islam doesn’t have to cut a lot of weight.”
Check out Beneil Dariush’s comments below:
Dariush, on the other hand, has been knocked out in the first round in three of his last four fights. He has teased a move up to welterweight after his most recent loss at UFC 322 against Benoit Saint Denis.
In the same interview, he added that his next fight could be his last:
My next fight could be my last one.”
Check out Beneil Dariush’s comments below:
