Beneil Dariush isn’t giving Paddy Pimblett much of a chance against Ilia Topuria.
Immediately following Topuria’s first-round destruction of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Pimblett entered the cage for a heated faceoff with ‘El Matador’ that quickly got physical.
It was an entertaining encounter, but fighters and fans alike were quick to downplay Pimblett’s chances of dethroning Topuria. That includes Dariush, who didn’t mince words while discussing the proposed clash with The Schmo.
“Ilia’s performance was masterclass—you can’t deny that guy, he’s very good, he’s elite,” Dariush said of Topuria’s performance against Oliveira in Las Vegas. “As far as Paddy going in, I don’t know why they did that. I’m assuming they want to give Paddy the title shot, and Ilia wants that fight too. It’s almost like feeding the kid to the lions.
“You never know, he might have something, but so far Ilia has looked unstoppable. It feels like a sheep to the slaughter, but you don’t know that, because we’re all fighters.”
Beneil Dariush’s return to the win column flies under the radar at UFC 317
While Topuria’s highlight-reel knockout of ‘Do Bronx’ and the Fight of the Year contender between Brandon Royval and Joshua Van stole all the headlines during International Fight Week, Dariush delivered one of his most impressive performances yet in the main card opener.
Bouncing back from a pair of brutal KOs against Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, Dariush pummeled Renato Moicano from pillar to post, earning a unanimous decision victory.
In the process, the Iranian-born contender kept himself very much alive in the lightweight rankings.
