Beneil Dariush hoping the UFC can match him up with Charles Oliveira again

Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush is hoping that the UFC matchmakers can match him up with fellow submission ace Charles Oliveira again.

Dariush was supposed to fight Oliveira at the UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana event in early October, but Oliveira had to be removed from the fight and Dariush ended up not fighting either. With both men still currently not booked for a fight and with both looking to get back into the Octagon in the next few months, this still seems like a matchup the UFC could re-book. And if you ask Dariush, that’s exactly what he wants.

Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Dariush said that he’s requesting the fight with Oliveira.

“I think it’s the fight that makes the most sense. We were supposed to fight Oct. 3. I took the fight on short notice. I believe Islam (Makhachev) had to pull out for some reason, and I took the fight on short notice, and I said, ‘OK if that’s the case, I’ll fight him.’ And something happened with him. I heard it was either personal problems or family problems. I’m not sure what it exactly was, but I understand. I’m not blaming him for pulling out of the fight, so I understand he had those, but coming back, I think it makes most sense to fight me,” Dariush said.

“He signed to fight me. I signed, so coming back, nothing’s really changed, so why not get that done? The only thing that’s different is that there’s no champion, but I don’t understand how that would change the dynamics of it, so I think the fight that makes most sense is for him to fight me and then go from there.”

Oliveira recently requested a shot at the UFC lightweight title, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen even though he has won his last seven fights in a row. With Dariush having won his last five fights in a row and both men locked into the top-15 at 155lbs at the moment, this is a fight that just makes a lot of sense right now.

Both men are amazing on the ground but both guys have shown an increased ability to knock their opponents out on the feet as well. Oliveira might want a higher-ranked opponent, but if no one is available then he could do much worse than fighting Dariush.

Do you want to see the UFC re-book Beneil Dariush vs. Charles Oliveira?