Beneil Dariush believes Topuria chose Gaethje over Makhachev due to easier planning

Beneil Dariush has stated that Ilia Topuria did not have a clear plan for facing Islam Makhachev, which led him to choose a fight with Justin Gaethje instead. Dariush suggests Topuria viewed the Gaethje matchup as a money fight that would be much easier to prepare for strategically compared to Makhachev. According to Dariush, developing a game plan for Gaethje is significantly simpler than creating one for the current lightweight champion. The comments reflect Dariush's analysis of Topuria's decision-making process in selecting opponents. No further elaboration on specific tactical challenges posed by either fighter is provided.