“He’s hungrier,” Beneil Dariush debates Arman Tsarukyan poses a greater threat than Dustin Poirier showdown

Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush reveals the UFC offered a fight against Dustin Poirier. He revealed his reasoning for choosing Arman Tsarukyan for UFC Austin main event.

“He’s hungrier,” Beneil Dariush debates Arman Tsarukyan poses a greater threat than Dustin Poirier showdown

Beneil Dariush, Dustin Poirier and Arman Tsarukyan (via Instagram/Imago)

Beneil Dariush faces Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Austin in a five-round main event bout. The UFC announced the bout to hype the live crowd in Austin, Texas. Dariush revealed in an interview that initially, the UFC offered Dustin Poirier as the opponent. The UFC offered the matchup for a main card spot at UFC 295.

However, Dustin Poirier turned down the bout against Beneil Dariush. This led to the matchup against Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC Austin. Dariush evaluated the potential benefits of fighting both fighters. This is what he said in an interview:

Dustin makes more sense in terms of rankings, in terms of visibility, in terms of everything. But, on paper, I think Arman is a tougher fighter. He's got better skills in terms of grappling, he's younger, I would say he's hungrier.
Beneil Dariush via Submission Radio
YouTube video

Dariush further mentioned that the promotion had nudged December 2nd as a second date for a face-off with Poirier. But the decision later came to be set on Tsarukyan. Meanwhile, Poirier also aspires to return to the historic UFC 300 card. He mentioned it a couple of times. However, Poirer also wanted an exciting matchup.

On paper, Dariush is a strong grappler, which is a weakness for Poirier after having multiple submission losses on his record. This thought process must have made Poirier reject the matchup.

Dariush clarified that it was only his opinion that fighters should choose the tougher challenges rather than fight the better-ranked opponents. He has a different mentality as a fighter. These are qualities that the fans support.

Beneil Dariush learned Dustin Poirier turned down a bout at UFC 295

Beneil Dariush will take on rising contender Arman Tsarukyan at the UFC Austin event on December 2. He recently sat down for an interview with the Submission Radio. He discussed future possible opponents; which included Dustin Poirier. Regarding the potential fight, Dariush said he was offered two dates for such a matchup. While the fighter himself remained ready, he had heard that Poirier had declined.

Dustin Poirier, who aspires for a UFC 300 comeback, refused bout with Beneil Dariush
Dustin Poirier, who aspires for a UFC 300 comeback, refused a bout with Beneil Dariush (Source: Twitter/IMAGO)

The “Diamond” himself is reeling from a knockout skid against Justin Gaethje in the BMF title fight at UFC 291. Speaking on the matter, Dariush revealed his side of the story:

I actually got a call for the possibility of fighting Dustin Poirier a couple of weeks ago on (UFC 295). They called me for that and said, 'Would you be willing?' And I said, 'Yeah, of course. My weight's good. I'm obviously in camp right now. Then they called me again and said, 'Okay, what about Dustin Poirier for December 2?' And I said, 'Okay.' ... It didn't materialize. Afterwards, they called me and said, 'Okay, we're gonna stick with Arman and it's gonna be five rounds.'

A rising notion that is gaining traction is a rebound match for Poirier. He can go on to choose and face the winner of the Dariush-Tsarukyan matchup. However, fans of the sport have critically berated such a notion, as it does nothing for the better-ranked Poirier. The “Diamond” is eyeing a big return next year for UFC 300.

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