Renato Moicano's opponent at UFC 311 opens up and talks about his thoughts on retirement

Beneil Dariush at a UFC press conference. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

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Scheduled to face Renato Moicano at UFC 311 on January 18th, Beneil Dariush is experiencing the worst moment of his career. At 35 years old, the fighter has accumulated two consecutive losses after stringing together eight victories that brought him close to a title shot in the lightweight division (up to 70,3 kg). Some believe that the fighter's time has passed and that it's time to hang up his gloves, but he thinks it's not the right time yet.

During an appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, Dariush stated that he doesn't know exactly when he will retire, but he believes it will be something he will clearly identify when the time comes. For the fighter, the decision depends on two issues: having the desire to continue and the ability to compete at a high level. Currently, he feels he has both and believes he has improved a lot in the last year. However, Dariush stressed that he needs to prove it inside the octagon.

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“I don’t know exactly when I’m going to retire. It’s one of those things where I’ll be able to identify, like, ‘Hey, I’m 36. It’s over. I’m 37. It’s over.’ It’s really two things: Do I have the desire? And then the second part, which is just as important: Do I have the ability? Right now, I feel like I have the desire, and I still feel like I have the ability. I don’t feel like I’m lacking, and I think I’ve improved a lot over the course of the year. It’s been a really good year of improvement and growth. All that’s left is to really be able to prove it. Step into that Octagon and prove what I’ve been able to do. If I can do that, I’ll keep fighting. If I can’t, then obviously there’s something missing, and you only get so many chances to fix that. Maybe it’s time to consider walking away from it. I have nothing against guys who fight for a long time; I have a lot of respect for those guys, but my desire has always been to be a champion. If I don’t have the ability to be a champion, then I’ll probably walk away from the sport,” Dariush said.

Dariush hasn't won a fight since October 2022, when he defeated Mateusz Gamrot by decision. Since then, the fighter has suffered two knockout losses, against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.

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