Beneil Dariush believes Charles Oliveira is “definitely” the champion ahead of UFC 280

Beneil Dariush has shed light on Charles Oliveira’s infamous weight miss at UFC 274.

The Brazilian was over by half a pound and was stripped of his lightweight title despite putting Justin Gaethje to the sword with a first round submission. ‘Do Bronx’ will fight Islam Makhachev for the vacant belt in the main event at UFC 280 this weekend.

The 33-year-old has declared that he’s still the champion going into the clash in Abu Dhabi after what he deems to be a farcical series of events on the scale. Dariush will also compete on Sunday. The #5-ranked star will take on Mateusz Gamrot with the winner likely next in line for the belt.

“Yeah, I think he [Charles Oliveira] is definitely the champion and the whole thing with not having digital scales,” Dariush explained during media day.

“Cause the same thing happened to me in Texas. I was in Texas. I weighed in on the digital scales for the UFC. It said 156. I went to weigh-in, and they said 156.3. So, then I had to go lose another 0.3 [pounds], and then I came back. There’s no way they would let Charles get on the belt without checking him first,” continued the Iran-born fighter, before concluding that, “The UFC always checks us first. So, he must have made weight before the UFC let him on. The guy we had in Texas was kind of a drama queen. The show wasn’t about him and he was making it about him. That’s why digital scales are important.”

Like Oliveira, Dariush has racked up an impressive run of form. The Kings MMA man has won his last 7 fights. He comes into the clash to Gamrot on the back of a unanimous decision win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 262. The Pole will present arguably his stiffest test. The American Top Team fighter is a grappling wizard with four straight wins under his belt.

Alexander Volkanovski has been drafted into the UAE as an understudy for the main event should anything happen to either Oliveira or Makhachev. This came as a blow to Dariush, who’d been told that role was his. The veteran has vowed to finish ‘Gamer’ when the pair meet inside the Octagon. His best response would be to do just that – and stake his claim for a title shot on the mic.

Will Dariush do the business against Gamrot?

Image Credit: UFC.com