“I Have No Idea”: Despite Prior 8-Fight Win Streak, Dana White Casts Doubts on Beneil Dariush’s Future After First-Round Loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 289

After months of anticipation and speculations, UFC 289 is finally a part of history. With Amanda Nunes announcing her retirement to Adam Fugitt submitting Mike Malott, fans got to witness some high-level in-ring action. But if there was one fight that had the most hype built around it, it has to be the Lightweight matchup between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush.

In what was touted as ‘People’s main event’, ‘Do Bronx’ managed to finish his American rival in the first round. In the dominant show of his striking prowess, the Brazilian finished ‘Benny’ with strikes, despite spending most of the round on his back. For many, this fight was an eliminator for Champion Islam Makhachev’s next opponent and looks like Oliveira is the one who gets his rematch. But what’s next for Dariush?

Dana White on Beneil Dariush’s future at lightweight

If the UFC’s president Dana White is to be believed, he has no idea about the future of Beneil Dariush. According to him, the Iran-born fighter should just take his time and think about his next move along with the team and family. Considering the fighter has just lost, the promoter states that it’s too early to make any decisions. In response to a question asking about Dariush’s next step in the promotion, Dana replied: “I don’t know. He just lost. I have no idea. I mean, you know, this is one of those things for him. He’s been waiting for this opportunity. He’s got to go home, get with his team, get with his family. There’s a lot that plays out on his side, on what he wants to do next and where his head’s at.”

Riding high on his eight-fight win streak, Beneil Dariush entered the octagon as a slight favorite over his Brazilian opponent. Considering his last victory over a high-level grappler like Mateusz Gamrot, many were favoring the Iranian-American over his Brazilian opponent.

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As expected, Dariush started out strong, managing to keep the top position for most of the round. But by the end, Oliveira managed to connect with a head kick and followed it with a barrage of strikes that finished ‘Benny’ in the first round.

After finishing Beneil Dariush, will Charles Olivera get the title shot next

With this, Charles Oliveira has become the first fighter in the UFC’s history to reach 20 finishes. He also now holds the second-most number of wins among all active fighters in the roaster. Considering how dominant ‘Do Bronx’ looked in this fight, fans and experts alike are rooting for his title shot. But as of now, nothing has been made official by the UFC. At the post-fight press conference, Dana White stated his excitement to see the Brazilian against champion Islam Makhachev. But despite this, he refused to give any confirmation.

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Recently, Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez expressed his concern over the promotion bypassing him in favor of the winner of the upcoming BMF title matchup between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. But despite the uncertainties, Olivera seems confident about his title shot. On the media day as well as the post-fight press conference of UFC 289, the former lightweight champion showed his confidence in fighting for the title next. Keeping in mind that the fighter never got the rematch for his title, the demand doesn’t seem unjust.