Beneil Dariush not mad about being ineligible for UFC bonus: “If anyone deserves it, it’s Scott”

UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush isn’t upset about not being eligible to receive a UFC bonus after his big win over Scott Holtzman last weekend.

Dariush took his current win streak up to five with an insane spinning backfist knockout against Holtzman in Las Vegas. Usually, he would’ve been the frontrunner for a post-fight bonus, after receiving three straight Performance of the Night bonuses in his last few fights. However, after coming in two pounds overweight, he was not able to qualify for that reward this time around.

During his post-fight press conference, Dariush made it crystal clear that he understands the rules and isn’t going to question the decision.

“I missed weight, so I don’t deserve it,” Dariush told reporters post-fight (via MMA Junkie). “That’s perfectly fine. If anyone deserves it, it’s Scott. He came in for the kill and he took the fight. I missed weight, man. He didn’t have to take the fight. I’m not a walk in the park. I’m not trying to sound cocky, but it’s not like he’s taking an easy fight, you know?”

“It was poor planning on my part,” Dariush said. “Typically, I have a little bit more freedom, because typically we don’t have the COVID protocols. So I didn’t take those protocols into consideration and I just didn’t do things the way I should have.

“I had about an hour left with the two pounds and I was doing the bath and the weight didn’t come off. I did the bath and I only lost .4 (pounds). I said to myself I’ll just go to the sauna at the (UFC) Performance Institute, but at that point they said, ‘You can’t go.’ That’s my fault. That’s not their fault. I didn’t even listen to the protocols.”

Before the fight, Dariush actually admitted that he was disappointed not to be fighting someone in the top-15. Evidently, however, he respects Holtzman for accepting the fight under the circumstances.

“Extremely disappointed. No disrespect to Scott, I know how tough he is and how hard-working he is and how long he has been doing this,” he told BJPENN.com. “I had to sit there with Sean Shelby and asked about a bunch of names and everyone was booked, injured, or not interested. It was very frustrating. It put a bad taste in my mouth. I appreciate the guys outside of the top-15 that want to fight me.”

What do you think the future holds for Beneil Dariush after his win over Scott Holtzman?