“When I lost to Oliveira, I decided that I wasn’t myself in that fight,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “I tried to figure out what went wrong in training camp and focused on getting it right and getting it right for the next fight.”
“And I had a really good training camp – I was in good condition, I had an easy weight training, great sparring, and everything was going just fine. But I came out for the fight and again I wasn’t myself. Now the question becomes, did I again not show what I’m capable of, or do I not have it anymore? And I need to find out.”
According to the American, this time he is going to listen to his coaches and take a longer break between fights, but he strongly disagrees with lowering the level of competition.
“Being a champion means always fighting the number one contenders, so I prefer to live like a champion even if I don’t have the belt. I don’t want to live my life trying to be a champion. I want to live like a champion. That’s my psychology.”
“After two concussions in a row, my coaches insist that I take a long break, and I’m inclined to take their advice. Normally I prefer to fight every three or four months, but now I’m putting my fate in the hands of my coaches, so it’s up to them. If it was up to me, I’d be back in February or March, but I think I’ll be away a bit longer this time”