Beneil Dariush is expected to serve as backup to Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 280.
Dariush revealed in an interview with MMA Fighting, that he was the backup for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. If something goes wrong, they would put him in.
“That’s what [my manager] Ali [Abdelaziz] told me, I was the backup for this,” Dariush revealed in an interview with MMA Fighting. “If something goes wrong, they would put me in.”
In recent years, the UFC has either booked a matchup in the same weight category or contracted a fighter to serve as a backup for the show to keep high-profile main events from collapsing in the days leading up to the show is.
While he's gearing up for Gamrot as part of the undercard, Dariush will have no problem reaping the extra pounds needed for a title fight; He faced a similar situation when he competed on the same card as Oliveira, who faced Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 262.
“Yeah, of course [I’ll make 155 pounds],” Dariush said. “It’s not that hard. I make 156. Last time in Texas [at UFC 262], I was pretty much 155 when I fought.
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