Beneil Dariush says Topuria chose Gaethje fight due to lack of clear Makhachev plan

Beneil Dariush offered his analysis on why Ilia Topuria chose to fight Justin Gaethje instead of pursuing Islam Makhachev. Dariush believes Topuria did not have a clear gameplan for how to approach a fight with Makhachev, making it a more difficult preparation challenge. According to Dariush, Topuria saw the Gaethje matchup as both a money-making opportunity and a fight for which it's much easier to develop a strategic plan compared to facing Makhachev. Dariush's comments suggest he views the Gaethje bout as a more straightforward stylistic challenge for Topuria than the Makhachev fight would have been.