Beneil Dariush shuts down talk that his UFC 289 fight against Charles Oliveira is the real main event

By Cole Shelton - June 8, 2023

Beneil Dariush doesn’t think his UFC 289 fight against Charles Oliveira is the ‘people’s’ main event.

Beneil Dariush

Once the UFC added Dariush vs. Oliveira to the card, many fans claimed that is the best fight on the card and the real main event. However, the actual headliner is Amanda Nunes defending her bantamweight title against Irene Aldana. Although Nunes is a sizeable betting favorite, Dariush says fans need to respect that title bout as he says getting to fight underneath Nunes is special.

“So, a lot of people have been telling me, you’re the main event, you and Charles are the real main event, blah blah blah. I have to make sure I pause and let them know, listen, Amanda Nunes, arguably the greatest female fighter of all time, I don’t agree with what they say basically. I think she is there for a reason, and I agree with that decision. It’s a privilege to be on the same card as her and the co-main event of that card,” Dariush said at UFC 289 media day.

RELATED: Pro fighters make their picks for Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush.

As Beneil Dariush says, Amanda Nunes is arguably the greatest female fighter of all time. Her headlining pay-per-view cards is nothing new as she headlined her last fight at UFC 277 and has headlined six UFC pay-per-views heading into Saturday’s UFC 289 event.

Yet, there is no question the co-main event between Dariush and Oliveira is getting a lot of attention due to how important the fight is for the lightweight division. The winner could very well get the next title shot and the oddsmakers have the fight close, so it could likely be a more competitive scrap than the main event. But, even with that, Dariush says he is the co-main event and Nunes vs. Aldana is the main event no matter what fans say.


Topics:

Beneil Dariush Charles Oliveira UFC UFC 289