Beneil Dariush on why he “feels bad” for Dan Hooker after latest UFC 305 fight callout

UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush has responded to Dan Hooker’s mass callout for a fight at UFC 305 in Perth.

Dariush hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Austin back in December. He lost back-to-back fights in 2023, including a TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 289 that halted his lightweight title shot bid.

Dariush has received callouts from numerous lightweight contenders during his absence, including from Hooker and Renato Moicano. Hooker hasn’t fought since a win over Jalin Turner at UFC 290 last July.

Hooker is done recovering from an injury that forced his withdrawal from a clash against Bobby Green in December. As he prepares for his UFC comeback, he recently took to Twitter to call out some of the division’s top names.

Any human god made UFC 305

Dariosh/moycano/fiviev/spamshot

I don’t give a fuck

— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) June 6, 2024

Beneil Dariush answers Dan Hooker’s UFC 305 callout

During a recent interview with Helen Yee, Dariush addressed Hooker’s latest callout for UFC 305 in Perth.

“Maybe, I have a lot going on, a lot on my plate right now. But if I can get it all figured out,” Dariush said. “I feel bad because this guy’s been calling me out for so long, and normally I just say yes to people, and he’s the one guy I can never seem to schedule and get the right schedule with. Maybe we end up doing it in Australia, I love Australia, except for the fact they’re gonna tax me like no other. Maybe we do it in Vegas or somewhere else where we don’t get taxed like Abu Dhabi or something, we’ll figure it out.”

Dariush and Hooker are both looking to get back in the mix in the lightweight title picture. UFC 305 is expected to be headlined by the return of UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis against Israel Adesanya, although nothing has been formally announced.

Dariush seems keen on accepting Hooker’s fight callout, although it might not come in the timeframe that Hooker desires. A fight announcement for both men could materialize in the coming weeks.