Beneil Dariush offered his perspective on why Ilia Topuria chose to fight Justin Gaethje instead of Islam Makhachev. Dariush believes Topuria did not have a clear game plan for facing Makhachev, which influenced his decision-making. According to Dariush, Topuria viewed the Gaethje fight as a money-making opportunity that would be much easier to prepare for strategically compared to a matchup with Makhachev. Dariush suggested that developing a plan for Gaethje is significantly simpler than creating one for the current lightweight champion.
Beneil Dariush has weighed in on Ilia Topuria's decision to pursue a fight with Justin Gaethje rather than a showdown with lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, arguing that a lack of a clear game plan drove the Georgian-Spanish star toward the easier strategic option.
Dariush, 37, holds an impressive 23-8-1 record and is currently ranked eighth in the lightweight division. Fighting out of Kings MMA as a southpaw, the Iranian-American contender lands 3.78 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy and averages 2.11 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him one of the more well-rounded fighters in a stacked 155-pound weight class.
Topuria, ranked second at lightweight and the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world at just 29 years old, carries a 17-1-0 record. Known as "El Matador," the Spain-based fighter is one of the most dangerous strikers in the sport, averaging 4.81 significant strikes per minute. According to Dariush, Topuria's team saw the Gaethje matchup as both a financially rewarding opportunity and a far more straightforward fight to prepare for tactically.
The fighter standing at the center of that comparison is Makhachev, the 34-year-old Russian champion who sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings with a 28-1-0 record. Makhachev's game is built around a smothering wrestling-based approach — he averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands 58 percent of his significant strikes, one of the highest accuracy rates in the division. Dariush suggested that devising a workable strategy against that kind of fighter is a fundamentally different challenge than preparing for Gaethje.
Why it matters
- Topuria's route to lightweight gold runs through Makhachev, so any fight he takes shapes the title picture
- Dariush's comments raise questions about whether Topuria's camp is confident it can solve Makhachev's elite wrestling
- A Gaethje win could elevate Topuria's stock further and buy time for a more developed game plan against the champion
