Beneil Dariush believes it would take ‘something special’ to get him to reconsider his current stance.

Last year, Dariush was contemplating a move to welterweight in order to try and rejuvenate his career.

This never came to fruition for the long-time lightweight contender, with Dariush being stopped by Quillan Salkilld in May to make it four knockout losses in five fights.

The 37-year-old recently opened up about having a different goal at this point in time and his current stance on his fighting future.

What’s next for Beneil Dariush? 🤔

The former lightweight contender has been knocked out in the first round of his last 4 losses. 😬

Beneil Dariush won’t make retirement official but is choosing to focus on new head coach role

Beneil Dariush planned to take time off after his loss earlier this year and has found himself unexpectedly becoming a coach to several UFC fighters.

His coach, Rafael Cordeiro, spending time elsewhere led to Dariush helping out until he had suddenly cornered 25 athletes.

The 26-fight UFC veteran told MMA Junkie (via The Bohnfire) that he didn’t set out to do it but is enjoying this phase of his career and could even form his own team next year.

Dariush went on to say when asked about his fighting career that his coaching assignments are taking priority right now and that he’s spoken to the UFC and his manager about not being interested in offers.

He doesn’t want to categorically say that he’s retired because his mind could still change, but at the moment, he’s happy with the way things are going.

“If I feel like it, maybe next year, but right now, the way the ball is rolling, I’ve got no complaints,” Dariush said. “Unless something big happens, I’m not jumping in anytime soon… To go back to fighting, I would have to have something special as far as motivation goes.”

He also mentioned that he’s had some offers for grappling matches, specifically mentioning Real American Freestyle, and is interested in exploring those options.

However, he also reaffirmed, “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.”

Beneil Dariush is still taking his coach role cautiously due to uncertainty over long-term plans

Beneil Dariush admitted in the interview that he never expected to be a head coach because of how difficult it looked.

He explained that he chose to step into this role due to feeling like he owed the fighters that he’s shared the gym with after they’ve helped him out over the years.

Dariush recalled his own experiences of speaking with head coaches in the past and how demanding the schedule can be due to the travel.

With that in mind, while he’s focused on fulfilling this role for the time being, it’s not necessarily something that he sees being a long-term plan.

“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.”

It’s not surprising that a fighter who has had to completely dedicate themselves to the sport and make sacrifices as a result wouldn’t want to continue doing so in life after their active career.