Beneil Dariush believes Ilia Topuria opted to fight Justin Gaethje instead of Islam Makhachev because he lacked a clear game plan for the lightweight champion. According to Dariush, Topuria viewed the Gaethje matchup as a money fight that would be much easier to prepare for strategically. He suggests Topuria saw Gaethje as a more straightforward challenge compared to the complex puzzle that Makhachev presents. The statement highlights the perceived difficulty of preparing for Makhachev's grappling-heavy style.
Beneil Dariush has offered his take on why Ilia Topuria passed on a fight with Islam Makhachev, suggesting the featherweight-turned-lightweight contender chose to face Justin Gaethje instead because he had no clear blueprint for handling the reigning champion.
Dariush, a 37-year-old southpaw ranked eighth in the lightweight division, carries a professional record of 23-8-1 and trains out of Kings MMA in the United States. Operating at five-foot-ten with a 72-inch reach, he averages 3.78 significant strikes per minute and mixes in consistent wrestling, posting 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes. His perspective on the division's politics carries weight given his own proximity to the lightweight title picture.
Dariush paraphrased his reasoning plainly: Topuria saw the Gaethje bout as a lucrative matchup that offered a more manageable strategic challenge, while Makhachev posed a far more complex problem he had not yet solved in the gym. The implication is that Topuria, ranked second in lightweight and first in the pound-for-pound standings at 29 years old, made a calculated business decision rather than a purely competitive one.
It is easy to understand why Makhachev would give any opponent pause. The Dagestani champion holds a 28-1-0 record, carries a 58 percent striking accuracy — the highest among the three fighters discussed — and produces 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.1 submission attempts in the same span. That grappling output makes him one of the most difficult stylistic puzzles in the sport.
Why it matters
- Topuria, at 17-1-0 and the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, is still adjusting to lightweight after moving up from featherweight
- Makhachev's grappling-heavy game presents a distinct preparation challenge that Dariush argues Topuria could not yet solve
- The Gaethje matchup, by contrast, is framed as more straightforward and financially rewarding, signaling how contenders are navigating the stacked 155-pound division
