‘Elon is a gangster’: UFC fighter Beneil Dariush gets Tesla after calling out Musk over delay
Sometimes if you kick up a fuss you end up getting what you want – kind of. Just ask UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush, whose post-UFC 262 rant at Elon Musk has resulted in him finally getting his hands on a Tesla.
Despite having his arm raised following a dominant decision victory over Tony Ferguson in Houston last weekend, Dariush did not appear to be a happy man.
Rather than using his post-fight interview to call out a next opponent, he trained his sights on Tesla billionaire Musk, criticizing him for the late delivery of a car he has been waiting for since last year.
“Where’s my wife’s car, bro?!”@beneildariush used his mic time to call out Elon Musk about the delivery of his Tesla ???? #UFC262 pic.twitter.com/ohLy0p07a2
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 16, 2021
“I wanna call somebody out,” Dariush screamed at UFC pundit Joe Rogan.
“I wanna call out your buddy, Elon. Elon Musk, where’s my wife’s car, bro? I’ve been waiting six months.
"I’ve had the baby, I need a good car, I gotta protect my daughter. Let’s go Elon, get me my car.”
The clip went viral, eventually coming to the attention of the eccentric tech billionaire himself – who apologized to Dariush and promised the vehicle was “coming soon.”
Coming soon. Sorry for the delay!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2021
While Dariush and his pregnant partner haven’t got exactly what they ordered just yet, they do have the next best thing after Tesla apparently sent the family a fee car to use until their order is ready.
Posting a picture of a smiling, sandals-wearing Dariush with his gleaming white car, MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz wrote: “@elonmusk came through for @beneildariush with a free car until his order is ready. What a gangster.”
@elonmusk came through for @beneildariush with a free car until his order is ready. Elon is a gangster @ufc pic.twitter.com/ypl9CLoTuw
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) May 19, 2021
Dariush himself responded with the message: “Not winning any style contest, but we find a way.”
The Iranian-born fighter, who lives in California, continued to propel himself into the title conversation at 155lbs as he dominated the fading Ferguson from start to finish of their contest.
The win was Dariush’s seventh on the spin in the UFC octagon, as he jumped six spots to number three in the lightweight rankings this week.
In the main event of the night, Charles Oliveira staged a stunning comeback to defeat American Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight title.
The Brazilian is expected to face the winner of the Conor McGregor versus Dustin Poirier trilogy in his first title defense, although Dariush, 32, will not be far off a title shot in his current kind of form.
And in the meantime, he has a gleaming new Tesla to drive around in as well as another new arrival to the family soon on the way.