Beneil Dariush on HW super-athletes: UFC will need 'bigger money for the bigger guys'

Get the Full StoryBloody Elbow's Eddie Mercado spoke with the #9 ranked UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush, ahead of his UFC Fight Night: Mexico City match with Rashid Magomedov on November 5, 2016 to talk altitude training, why he gets booed by fans, and even touched on what it might take for the UFC heavyweight division to better resemble the current UFC lightweight division in terms of technique and athleticism. Much like UFC Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Liddell, the #9 ranked UFC lightweight, Beneil Dariush, deviated from the path of becoming an accountant in pursuit of the life of a professional mixed martial artist. Ahead of his 10th UFC bout against Rashid Magomedov at UFC Fight Night 98, Beneil Dariush spoke with Bloody Elbow's Eddie Mercado about his path to MMA, preparation for Mexico City, and even touched on what it might take to bring the super-athletes to the UFC heavyweight division.

Interview: #9 UFC Lightweight Beneil Dariush UFC Fight Night: Mexico City AUDIO ONLY

From accounting class to cage fight:

"I've always liked knowing who the toughest guy in the room is. Even as a kid, that was one of the things. One day, I was in high school, and I tried wrestling. It was pretty fun. That was supposed to be just a hobby. I tried Jiu-Jitsu as a hobby to keep me in shape while I go to college and focus on becoming an accountant. Things kind of changed. Jiu-Jitsu took over instead of school and slowly I was doing less school and more training, and out of nowhere I had an MMA fight."

Why is the UFC lightweight division often referred to as the "Shark Tank"?

"I think if you look at the average person size, they're closer to my size. So a lot more people meaning a lot more depth. Usually, guys my size are faster, they ??? technique, and they're pretty strong. So, you have a lot of knockouts, you have a lot different skillsets from everybody."

What will it take for the UFC heavyweight division to look a lot more like the UFC lightweight division, in terms of technique and athleticism?

"Big athletes, most of them go to the NFL or even basketball. It's money, I guess you could say. One, these sports, at least in America, you go to these sports right through high school and college. So, it's a faster gate. They have a better chance of going to those sports just because from an earlier age... we don't have any gateway sports to MMA like that. Maybe if we had Jiu-Jitsu in high school, that could help. I think bigger money would be another thing because all these big athletes, right away, people notice them so they are able to go into these sports a lot faster, or be seen a lot faster. So, maybe bigger money for the bigger guys?"

Why such a quick turnaround following your UFC on FOX 19 loss to Michael Chiesa?

"It was like 5 weeks. I just didn't want to be home with such a bad performance. I didn't want to be home and just thinking about it. So, the quicker I got a fight, the faster I could get back out there and get my job done and get int out of my system a little bit. It doesn't change the loss, but it helped."

How did it feel to bounce back by knocking out an undefeated fighter?

"It was good. It was one of those things where I was really struggling after the loss. I spent a lot of time praying and just kind of trying to get my focus back, my spirit back and that victory really helped me out."

Why do you feel compelled to give thanks to Jesus Christ following your Octagon performances?

"So, before I was a Christian, I made victory my center. Victory was the only thing that mattered to me. Now, the difference is, Jesus is that. So, I want people to know that and I want them to see the change in me. I don't know if a lot of people out there will know the change, but a lot of people who known me for a long time are able to see the change since I decided to put Jesus, instead of winning, in my center."

Gameplan for Rashid Magomedov:

"I think people will say go for the takedowns, and try to to use your takedowns, but, it can't be just that. If you look at Durinho Gilbert Burns, one of the best Jiu-Jitsu guys, and he tried that and it worked against him because he was so worried about the striking, it hurt him. I need to make sure I go out there, I use all of my skillsets. I use my striking, I use my wrestling, I use my Jiu-Jitsu and don't feel uncomfortable anywhere. I think that's going to be really big."

What sort of atmosphere are you expecting at UFC Fight Night 98 in Mexico?

"What I'm looking forward to, is to see whether the crowd will be actually for me or against me. I've had a lot of Latin American guys come in and train with us, especially the guys that did the ultimate fighter. Usually when I fight, I usually get booed so I'm interested to see if that changes this fight."

Why do you think you get booed in the U.S.A.?

"I'm not born in America. When I walk out, it's not the American flag. They put the country you're born in, that flag, so that could have something to do with it... they probably don't know I speak English most of the time."

What are you doing to prepare for over 7,000 feet of elevation?

"A lot of high-intensity workouts, sprints, and making sure I'm able to get the oxygen back between rounds. Being able to recover, that's really important, I think, out here. Just doing you regular normal routines, but up here, it's just a whole different thing. On top of that, the high-intensity training we do a little bit more out here just so i can get my oxygen levels higher."

What will be next for Beneil Dariush?

"Actually, I don't even care. Look, my last opponent was 5 -0 UFC , this guy's 4-0 UFC . As long as they keep giving me tough guys like this, I don't really care. I just want to fight the best guys in the world, and I think, right now, I'm doing that."

You care about who you fight more so than winning the belt?

"For sure. I mean, it's just a 12 pound strap that, I mean, you don't really do anything with it and it doesn't prove anything. For me, who I fight is way more important. Again, my crown comes from Jesus Christ; it doesn't come from some belt."

Watch UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush square off with the 19-1 Rashid Magomedov at UFC Fight Night 98 in Mexico City, Mexico on November 5, 2016. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for all of your UFC event coverage including play-by-play, results, highlights, and more!

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