Beneil Dariush is seemingly done with fighting, but the former UFC lightweight contender is not ready to officially announce his retirement.
The 37-year-old previously hinted that his fight against Quillan Salkilld could be his last, but he wanted to see how things played out before making a final decision. Unfortunately, Dariush suffered a first-round TKO loss to Salkilld in May, extending his losing streak to two fights and giving him four knockout defeats in his last five outings.
Since then, the veteran has found a new direction in MMA. Dariush has unexpectedly moved into coaching and now works as a head coach for several UFC fighters, including Uros Medic, Kelvin Gastelum and Marvin Vettori.
His transition into coaching happened faster than he expected, but the former lightweight contender says he has enjoyed the experience.
“It wasn’t even something I wanted to do,” Dariush told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “When my coach Rafael Cordeiro went over to Tyson’s, a lot of the guys started showing up to my gym. I was like, ‘This is nice to have for training partners and stuff.’ It kind of just evolved and molded into coaching them too. … I went from cornering one to two people to 20 to 25 people.
“It was unexpected, but it’s been cool and enjoyable. I’m getting to grow as a coach, and the most difficult thing is dealing with personalities. What I would say to one person doesn’t work so much with the other person. I think that’s the thing. People saw that with Marvin, but I don’t think I would do that with a lot of the other guys. … I have a few guys in the UFC, but a lot of the guys are coming up.”
With coaching now taking priority, Dariush admits that he has no immediate plans to return to competition.
The veteran turns 38 in May and appears comfortable with his new role. Although he has not officially retired, he says the UFC would need to present something special to convince him to return to the Octagon.
“Honestly, I don’t have plans right now,” Dariush said. “My focus is these guys. I’ve got these guys in November, I’ve got these guys in December. If I feel like it, maybe next year, but right now, the way the ball is rolling, I’ve got no complaints. Unless something big happens, I’m not jumping in anytime soon. With that being said, I’ve got the calls for some grappling. Maybe even RAF. That looks fun. I’d like to jump on that, and I’d like to wrestle.
“There’s guys who get to wrestle Jordan Burroughs. You get to share the mat with Olympians. I love that part about it. … All these things look fun, but nothing is going to stop me from basically coaching at this moment. My goal is coaching. If the time doesn’t mix well with coaching, I won’t even grapple. It’s got to fit that as well.”
Dariush has also received offers for grappling competitions and expressed interest in Real American Freestyle (RAF). However, he insists that any opportunity must fit around his coaching responsibilities.
The former contender also explained that he does not want to announce his retirement because he could still change his mind. For now, though, he has little motivation to return to fighting.
“To go back to fighting, I would have to have something special as far as motivation goes,” Dariush said.
Dariush also admitted that he never expected to become a head coach because he understood how demanding the job could be.
His coach, Rafael Cordeiro, spending time elsewhere created an opportunity for Dariush to help fighters at his gym. What started with him cornering one or two athletes eventually grew into a responsibility involving 20 to 25 fighters.
The veteran explained that he felt he owed the fighters who had trained alongside him over the years. Their support during his own career encouraged him to step into a coaching role when they needed his help.
However, Dariush does not necessarily see coaching as a permanent career path. He recalled conversations with other head coaches and the demands of the job, particularly the constant travel and time away from home.
“At this moment, my focus is giving all I can as a head coach, but I don’t know if I’ll be doing it forever. It’s not an easy job.”
