Alexander Volkanovski blames himself for Beneil Dariush snub

Back in 2023, Beneil Dariush was on an eight-fight win streak that had him in the mix for a lightweight title shot if things broke his way.

Islam Makhachev did defend the belt not long after Dariush extended his run, but it was featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski who got the opportunity.

Volkanovski admitted this week, while previewing the RAC Arena card, that he feels for Dariush because of how things played out.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “I really do like Dariush. I feel for him. He was freaking, I almost feel like I… He should have fought for titles and then that was when I obviously deserved my chance at champ-champ.”

“I ended up taking where he probably would have been. He would have been backup, he would have been next if it wasn’t [for] me and then s—, I feel like it’s my fault that he never got that title fight. He’s a good dude too.”

Dariush had previously said last year that despite impressive wins over Tony Ferguson and Mateusz Gamrot, he never truly believed a title shot was coming his way.

The win streak ended abruptly when Charles Oliveira stopped him in the first round—a win that earned Oliveira another shot at Makhachev.

Salkilld has picked up three knockout wins since joining the promotion last year and will be looking to break into the top 15 with another impressive performance.