Beneil Dariush thinks he’d get the better of Charles Oliveira in a rematch.
Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) saw his eight-fight winning streak snapped by Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) with a first-round TKO loss this past May at UFC 289. With the win, “Do Bronx” earned a title shot in a rematch against lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi.
Although he got the fight down to the mat early, Dariush thinks he had an off-night against Oliveira.
“Yeah, it’s not my first time losing, and it’s not my first time rebuilding back up,” Dariush said on UFC Unfiltered. “I’ve done it before. To be honest with you, I’m not sure why the fight went the way it did. But like, I didn’t feel – something was missing that night.
“I’m going to get that fixed, I’m going to figure it out, and I’m going to show a better version for sure. I really believe, we fight again, I win that fight. So, I have to work hard… He was about as strong as I thought he was going to be.”
Dariush is no stranger to setbacks. He amassed an eight-fight winning streak after going winless in three straight fights, including an upset knockout loss to debutant Alexander Hernandez. Dariush plans on bouncing back in similar fashion.
The 34-year-old pointed to bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling as inspiration.
“I could make up so many excuses, right? But then I just take a moment back and look at guys like Aljamain,” Dariush said. “With him and – who was the guy he fought? Marlon Moraes. Look what he did since then. I’m not too stressed out about it. I just know that I can build back up and I could show the world that I am the best.”
