Dariush's trainer explained why the fighter took a break after two straight losses

Rafael Cordeiro, the coach of UFC ranked American lightweight Beneil Dariush, told why his ward put his career on pause.

Dariush suffered two first-round knockout losses in 2023 - in May to Charles Oliveira and in December to Arman Tsarukian.

"Last year turned out to be very difficult for Beneil. He was knocked out twice and knocked down three times. Plus, he was knocked out once in the gym. All in all, he's suffered head trauma five times in one year. He's still relatively young, so I've asked him to take a break and rest.

My concern for him is not as a trainer, but as a father. He's won eight of his last 10 fights, but there are people advising him to end his career. That's absurd, very disrespectful to Beneil. Let's see what will be the right fights when he fully recovers," MMA Fighting quotes the specialist as saying.

In 2023, Dariush suffered two first-round knockout losses to Charles Oliveira in May and Arman Tsarukian in December.

"Last year turned out to be very difficult for Beneil. He was knocked out twice and knocked down three times. Plus, he was knocked out once in the gym. All in all, he's suffered head trauma five times in one year. He's still relatively young, so I've asked him to take a break and rest.

My concern for him is not as a trainer, but as a father. He's won eight of his last 10 fights, but there are people advising him to end his career. That's absurd, very disrespectful to Beneil. Let's see what will be the right fights when he fully recovers," MMA Fighting quotes the specialist as saying.