Beneil Dariush accuses Islam Makhachev of running from fight with welterweight move: ‘What about title defenses?’

Beneil Dariush accuses Islam Makhachev of running from fight with welterweight move

Surging UFC lightweight contender, Beneil Dariush has slammed division champion, Islam Makhachev this week, questioning how the Dagestan native could warrant a move to the welterweight ranks – after the latter offered to fight Leon Edwards for 170lbs gold at UFC 294 in October on ‘Fight Island’.

Dariush, in the midst of a stunning eight-fight winning spree, returns to the Octagon in search of a number-one contender’s stop in May, tackling soon-to-be common-foe, former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 288 in Newark, New Jersey.

Moving to 8-0 in as many fights back in October of last year in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Kings MMA staple, Dariush halted the run of former two-weight KSW champion, Mateusz Gamrot with an impressive unanimous decision victory. 

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However, in his pursuit of lightweight gold, Dariush may run into a stumbling block, with Makhachev calling for a welterweight championship effort against undisputed kingpin, Edwards following UFC 286.

Beneil Dariush left frustrated by Islam Makhachev’s potential welterweight climb

Questioning how the American Kickboxing Academy mainstay could warrant a move after defending his title just once, Dariush accused Makhachev of trying to run from a future fight against him.

“I don’t understand – like, what about title defenses,” Beneil Dariush said during an appearance on Submission Radio. “It’s like people – I don’t know what’s going on with him (Islam Makhachev). Why? Maybe he’s having a hard time making weight at 155lbs and he’s just like, ‘Eh, let’s just go to 170 and relax’. Honestly. I don’t get it.”

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“I think he needs to focus on his division,” Beneil Dariush explained. “There’s a lot of good fighters in his division. Maybe, in my opinion, [it’s] the best division (in the UFC). So, I don’t know why he’s trying to run off to other divisions.” 

Headlining UFC 284 back in February, Makhachev managed to successfully land his first defense of the undisputed lightweight crown – defeating featherweight titleholder, Alexander Volkanovski in a close decision triumph in Perth, Australia.

However, prior to his call out of Edwards for an October battle in Abu Dhabi, UAE – Makhachev expressed his interest in a new challenge against the likes of Dariush in his next attempt lightweight title defense