Beneil Dariush will face Paddy Pimblett as his next opponent.
Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) denied rumors he was set to face Pimbrelet (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC 309 in November, but said he would take the fight if it was offered. November is a possible return date for Dariush, and he sees a bout against Pimbrelet fitting that expectation.
“I think it’s going to be an exciting fight overall,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “It could be that the jiu-jitsu is offset or there’s a lot of striking. Maybe not. Maybe I can beat him. Or vice versa. There are a lot of possibilities.”
“I haven’t fought in a while so there are a lot of question marks, to be honest. So I think it’s definitely going to be an exciting fight. I think it’s a fight that the fans will enjoy. You never know how the fight will go.”
The 35-year-old Pimbret had not competed since losing by knockout to Arman Tsarukyan in December, his second straight stoppage loss, before staying unbeaten with a first-round submission win over King Greene at UFC 304 in July.
While their career trajectories are different at the moment, Dariush believes Pimblett will live up to his expectations.
“I’ve struggled with my striking in my last few fights but I think I have the advantage in terms of power,” Dariush said. “It’ll come down to who has the better timing and can find the man. Paddy has an unconventional striking style and leads with his chin up so it should be an exciting fight.”
“He’ll come in and do some big damage or get hurt and then all of a sudden you see him wrestling. It’s a fun fight to watch. I think I can get him early and vice versa. It’s the type of thing where we just get after him, you know? But I think experience will be a factor and I think I’m the guy to go in there and beat him down. I guess you could say I’m his big brother.”
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