UFC 311 fighter who lost out due to main event change speaks out for the first time after cancellation
Yesterday at 06:11 PM
Beneil Dariush was the odd man out after the UFC scrambled to save the UFC 311 main event by promoting his opponent up the card.
UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush experienced a long journey back to the Octagon ahead of UFC 311 fight week. Just hours before his return to the cage, Dariush found out that he wouldn’t be fighting at UFC 311, but not due to anything in his control.
Friday’s UFC 311 official weigh-in featured a major shakeup as Arman Tsarukyan withdrew on hours’ notice from his clash with Islam Makhachev due to a back injury. Makhachev will now face Dariush’s previously scheduled opponent, Renato Moicano, in the headliner of UFC 311.
Dariush will not get a short-notice replacement opponent instead of Moicano, although the UFC will compensate him fairly for the last-second change. He was supposed to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon after a 13-month hiatus.
It didn’t take long for Dariush to address the UFC 311 last-minute chaos and what’s next for him after his fight fell through.
- READ MORE:Insider points out parallel between Arman Tsarukyan and Renato Moicano after UFC 311 switch up
Beneil Dariush speaks on UFC 311 fight cancelation
In a recent Instagram post, Dariush issued his first remarks about the last-second cancelation of his UFC 311 booking.
“Family and friends unfortunately I'm not fighting tomorrow,” Dariush said. “Due to changes in the card I been left as the odd man out. I appreciate [Dana White] and [UFC] for giving me an opportunity to fight in my hometown and taking care of me even though I'm not fighting.
“I believe God has something better for me and I will wait faithfully to see how it unfolds.”
Dariush hasn’t fought since a knockout loss to Tsarukyan at UFC Austin in December 2023. He’s lost back-to-back fights to Charles Oliveira and Tsarukyan after an eight-fight winning streak put him on the cusp of a lightweight title shot.
Dariush’s last victory came against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280, which set him up for a UFC Fight Night showdown with Makhachev before withdrawing due to injury. He’d go on to face Oliveira at UFC 289, losing by first-round TKO.
Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano is the new UFC 311 headliner
Makhachev is looking to become the UFC’s all-time leader in lightweight title defenses this weekend at UFC 311. As of this writing, he’s in a four-way tie (4 defenses) with Khabib Nurmagomedov, BJ Penn, and Benson Henderson.
Meanwhile, Moicano is looking to ‘shock the world‘ as he prepares to face the UFC’s pound-for-pound king on hours’ notice. He’s been on a roll since making the full-time transition to lightweight, earning recent wins over Jalin Turner, Benoit Saint-Denis, and Drew Dober.
Dariush is expecting to get booked for a return fight later this year after the UFC 311 debacle. His upcoming fight could potentially be his last Octagon appearance as he’s repeatedly teased a looming retirement.
