Beneil Dariush has offered his analysis on why Ilia Topuria chose to fight Justin Gaethje instead of Islam Makhachev. According to Dariush, Topuria viewed the Gaethje fight as a money-making opportunity that would be significantly easier to prepare for tactically compared to facing Makhachev. Dariush suggested that developing a clear game plan against Makhachev would be much more challenging than preparing for Gaethje's style. The comments imply that Topuria may have strategically selected an opponent that presented fewer technical complications while still offering financial benefits. This represents Dariush's perspective on the decision-making process behind high-profile fight selections.
Beneil Dariush has weighed in on one of the more debated fight-selection decisions in recent memory, sharing his view on why Ilia Topuria opted to face Justin Gaethje rather than lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Dariush, a 37-year-old southpaw out of Kings MMA with a professional record of 23-8-1, sits at number eight in the lightweight rankings. A well-rounded competitor who averages 3.78 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy and adds 2.11 takedowns per fifteen minutes, Dariush has long been considered one of the division's more technically complete fighters. That background gives some credibility to his analysis of game-planning complexity.
According to Dariush, Topuria saw the Gaethje matchup as both a financially rewarding opportunity and a tactically simpler assignment than a showdown with Makhachev. He suggested that building a clear, effective game plan against Makhachev would be far more difficult than preparing for Gaethje's style.
That assessment carries weight when you look at Makhachev's numbers. The 34-year-old Russian holds a 28-1-0 record, currently holds champion status, and ranks first pound-for-pound. He lands strikes at 58 percent accuracy while averaging 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per fifteen minutes — a combination that presents multi-dimensional problems for any opponent's coaching staff.
Topuria, ranked second at lightweight and first pound-for-pound at just 29 years old, carries a 17-1-0 record and leads all three fighters in output, averaging 4.81 significant strikes per minute. The Georgian-born Spaniard representing Spain is an aggressive finisher, but Dariush's point implies that Topuria's team may have calculated that Makhachev's grappling-heavy, high-accuracy approach created preparation headaches that the Gaethje fight simply did not.
Why it matters
- Topuria's fight selection directly shapes the lightweight title picture and when, or whether, a Makhachev superfight happens
- Makhachev's elite takedown and submission averages make him uniquely difficult to game-plan for, lending credibility to Dariush's argument
- Dariush, as a ranked lightweight who has navigated the same division, offers an informed insider perspective on the tactical calculus involved
