As he reflected on his journey that eventually led him to the UFC championship, Alexander Volkanovski couldn’t prevent himself from feeling guilty, especially over how his rise may have impacted Beneil Dariush‘s title chances.

Volkanovski considers himself blessed. Had he not been lucky, he wouldn’t be in this position. At the same time, the fact that his forward momentum overshadowed Dariush’s prospects continues to bother him. Speaking on his channel, the featherweight champion addressed how his progress affected the UFC veteran.

“I really do like Dariush…feel for him,” Volkanovski said. “He was freaking…man, I almost feel like I bloody he should have fought for titles, and then I that was when I, like, obviously deserved my chance at champ. I end up taking it where he probably would have been there.”

That reflection ties directly to what unfolded four years ago, when the UFC finalized its Abu Dhabi card (UFC 280) at Etihad Arena. Alexander Volkanovski revealed he would serve as the official substitute for the headlining bout between then-former champion Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev.

But Volkanovski’s claim didn’t go uncontested. Dariush, who featured on the co-main event against Mateusz Gamrot, believed he had secured that backup role.

In the end, Volkanovski entered UFC 280 as the official substitute. While Dariush went on to defeat Gamrot that night, the momentum didn’t carry forward, as he later suffered back-to-back losses to Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.

Volkanovski’s path unfolded differently and more immediately.

One rose fast, the other lost ground: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Beneil Dariush

Already the featherweight champion, serving as the official substitute paid off when he stepped in to face Makhachev in a lightweight title fight a few months later. Although he suffered his first UFC loss, with the Russian securing a clear win in front of a home crowd, the opportunity elevated his profile.

Volkanovski received another title opportunity against Makhachev at UFC 294. He lost again, this time in the first round via a kick-and-punch combination. Then a few months later, he also lost his featherweight title to Ilia Topuria.

Even so, competing in consecutive championship bouts, each with the chance to make him a two-division champion, underscored how his career continued to trend upward.

That arc came full circle last year when he once again became champion at 145 pounds.

Now, as Beneil Dariush gears up to face Quillan Salkilld at UFC Fight Night 275 in Perth, Australia, Alexander Volkanovski admits the timing still doesn’t sit right with him.

“He would have been back up,” he stated. “He would have been next if it wasn’t me, and then sh*t never looked like I felt like it was my fault that he never got that title fight. They say he’s a good dude too.”

“A really good dude and definitely deserved it that time, but obviously people say I deserved it, and that’s a fight that we ended up having, and he was meant to just, you know, pretty much get it after that, but then he ended up losing, and it hasn’t, you know, sort of gone south from there. I still feel for the bloke.”

That perspective aligns with how Dariush’s career has unfolded in recent years.

After the loss to Tsarukyan, he bounced back with a win over Renato Moicano, only to suffer another setback when Benoit Saint Denis knocked him out at UFC 322 this past November.

Now approaching 37, the Iranian-born jiu-jitsu black belt finds himself at a critical point. Currently ranked 12th in the lightweight division, even a win on Saturday may not be enough to fast-track him back into contention.

Any further setbacks could push him deeper down the ladder, leaving the title opportunity Volkanovski once thought was his to lose even further out of reach.