Firas Zahabi believes “something was off” with Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 last weekend.
The Tristar Gym head coach opened up on Dariush’s performance against Charles Oliveira on his Youtube channel.
Daruish was finished by Oliveira in the first round of the co-main event, ending his title hopes and sending him back to the drawing board.
Firas Zahabi On Dariush’s Performance
Beneil Dariush came into the bout on an eight fight winning streak and was the slight favourite.
He seemed to cope well at the very beginning, but after a right hand and a head kick from Oliveira which shook Dariush, it was all downhill from there.
Oliveira finished the fight by TKO after some vicious ground and pound.
“He underperformed, he’s way better than that,” said Zahabi. “I just feel something was off that night.”
“I don’t know what it was, but he had a golden opportunity and he just couldn’t seize it,” he added.
Zahabi – who has trained fighters such as Georges St-Pierre, Robert Whittaker and Vitor Belfort – was quick to state that he respects Dariush.
“I’m a big fan of Dariush, and I remain a big fan.”
The Aftermath Of UFC 289
Beneil Dariush has wins over the likes of Mateusz Gamrot, Tony Ferguson and Drew Dober.
His eight fight winning streak brought him within touching distance of the title, but Oliveira was just too good on the night.
“I’m OK,” Dariush wrote on Instagram. “I’ll heal up and be back.”
It will be difficult for Dariush to get himself back in contention for the title in the shark tank that is the lightweight division.
Oliveira’s victory puts him right back in line for a title shot and a rematch with Islam Makhachev. His performance was excellent against Dariush, but Zahabi wasn’t completely convinced.
“If he tries that with Islam Makhachev I don’t think that’s going to work,” he said.
“[Dariush] should have kept Oliveira on his back the whole time, he should have crushed him with ground and pound. I think those are all the things that Islam Makhachev can do.”
Chances are the rematch will be made and we will find out if Zahabi is right. MMA fans will also be hoping that Dariush can make a successful comeback.
We have so much to look forward to in the world of mixed martial arts.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
