Beneil Dariush: Paddy Pimblett fight would be exciting but ultimately I'd 'big brother him'

Beneil Dariush welcomes Paddy Pimblett as his next opponent.

Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) debunked rumors that he’s slated to face Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC 309 in November but would be open to the fight if offered. November works for Dariush as a potential return date, and he sees a fight with Pimblett delivering the goods.

“I think overall it’s an exciting fight,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “I think you could say jiu-jitsu cancels out, or it could be a lot of striking. Maybe not. Maybe I’m able to take him down. Or vice versa. There’s so many maybes.

“I haven’t fought in a while, so shoot, there’s a lot of questions back there, too. So, I mean, I definitely think it would be an exciting fight. I think that’s a fight the fans would enjoy. As far as how the fight goes, I’m not sure.”

The 35-year-old hasn’t competed since a knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan last December for his second straight stoppage loss. Pimblett remained unbeaten when he ran through King Green for a first-round submission at UFC 304 in July.

Despite their current different career trajectories, Dariush thinks he’d derail Pimblett’s hype.

“I’ve been kind of struggling in the striking in the last couple of fights, but I think power-wise, I think I have an advantage in power,” Dariush said. “It would really be who has the better timing and who can find the other guy. Paddy has an unorthodox style of striking, and he does lead with his chin up, so it makes for exciting fights.

“He comes in, he does a lot of damage, or he gets hurt, and then all of a sudden you see he’s grappling it. It’s a fun fight to watch. I could see myself catching him early or vice versa. It’s one of those things where we would just go after it, right? But I really do think experience plays a factor, and I think I’m the guy that goes in there just kind of beats him up. I’m what you would say, big brother him.”