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Beneil Dariush has shared his opinion on why Ilia Topuria chose to fight Justin Gaethje instead of Islam Makhachev. According to Dariush, Topuria did not have a clear plan for facing Makhachev, making the stylistic matchup too difficult to prepare for. Dariush believes Topuria saw the Gaethje fight as a lucrative opportunity and a more manageable opponent. He suggests it is much easier to develop a game plan against Gaethje than against the reigning lightweight champion Makhachev. This commentary comes as Topuria recently moved up to lightweight and selected Gaethje for his debut in the division.
AgentMMA.com
