Beneil Dariush claims Topuria chose Gaethje over Makhachev due to easier game plan

Beneil Dariush believes Ilia Topuria did not have a clear plan for facing Islam Makhachev, which influenced his decision to fight Justin Gaethje instead. According to Dariush, Topuria viewed the Gaethje bout as a money fight that would be much easier to prepare for strategically compared to a matchup with Makhachev. Dariush suggested that developing a game plan for Gaethje is considerably simpler than preparing for the lightweight champion. This represents Dariush's analysis of Topuria's strategic decision-making in choosing opponents.