Beneil Dariush believes Ilia Topuria did not have a clear plan for fighting Islam Makhachev, which led him to choose a bout with Justin Gaethje instead. Dariush suggests Topuria viewed Gaethje as a fight he could earn money from while being easier to prepare a gameplan for compared to Makhachev. This provides insight into Topuria's strategic decision-making at featherweight. Dariush's comments shed light on the complexity of preparing for different stylistic matchups. The statement reflects ongoing discussions about potential superfights in the lightweight division.
Beneil Dariush has offered a candid theory on why Ilia Topuria bypassed a potential showdown with Islam Makhachev in favor of a fight against Justin Gaethje, suggesting the Georgian-Spanish star simply lacked a workable gameplan for the lightweight champion.
Dariush, a 37-year-old southpaw out of Kings MMA, holds a 23-8-1 record and sits eighth in the lightweight rankings. Averaging 3.78 significant strikes per minute with 49 percent accuracy and 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes, the Iranian-American veteran has spent years navigating the sport's most demanding division and clearly carries strong opinions on the strategic side of fight preparation.
Topuria, ranked second at lightweight and first in the pound-for-pound standings, carries a 17-1-0 record and fights out of Spain. Known as "El Matador," the 29-year-old is one of the most prolific strikers in the division, landing 4.81 significant strikes per minute. Dariush's assessment is that Topuria found the Gaethje matchup more tactically approachable and financially rewarding than a date with Makhachev.
Makhachev, the reigning champion and top pound-for-pound fighter according to the AgentMMA rankings, owns a 28-1-0 record and presents a uniquely difficult puzzle. The 34-year-old Russian southpaw combines elite grappling — 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts in the same span — with 58 percent striking accuracy, the highest of the three fighters discussed.
Why it matters
- Dariush's comments frame Topuria's matchup choices as strategic avoidance rather than pure competitive preference
- Makhachev's well-rounded grappling-heavy style creates genuine preparation challenges that no striking-based fighter can afford to overlook
- Topuria's pound-for-pound ranking and trajectory make his divisional decisions among the most consequential in lightweight right now
- The remarks add fresh fuel to ongoing debates about whether a Makhachev-Topuria superfight will ever materialize
