All indications point to
Beneil
Dariush having hit his stride.
More than eight years after he joined the roster, the longtime
Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt appears to have finally made inroads
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division. Dariush
has rattled off seven consecutive victories, four of them finishes,
since his stunning knockout loss to
Alexander
Hernandez in 2018. He last competed at UFC 262, where he laid
claim to a unanimous decision over
Tony
Ferguson on May 15, perhaps setting the stage for a high-stakes
showdown with fellow 155-pound contender
Islam
Makhachev.
As Dariush awaits his latest marching orders, a look at some of the
rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 finalist blasted through the
previously unbeaten Dariush with punches in the first round of
their UFC Fight Night 39 lightweight showcase on April 11, 2014 at
Du Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Nijem finished it 4:20
into Round 1. A counter left hook marked the beginning of the end
for Dariush. The
Kings MMA representative retreated to the fence, where Nijem
swarmed him with punches and threatened him with a guillotine
choke. Dariush fought valiantly to remain a factor in the bout, but
his adversary gave him no refuge. Nijem kept firing punches, moved
to mount and ultimately settled in a kneeling position, unleashing
one last barrage that forced the stoppage.
Dariush leaned on his world-class ground game in claiming a
unanimous decision from the former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder in their featured
UFC on Fox 15 prelim on April 18, 2015 at the Prudential Center in
Newark, New Jersey. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for
Dariush, who capitalized on his opportunity as a replacement for
the injured
Paul Felder.
After a closely contested first round, Dariush took off. The
Rafael
Cordeiro protege landed multiple takedowns, proved superior in
the scrambles and slowly wore down Miller. Dariush achieved full
mount on his fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt three times over
the final 10 minutes. He also transitioned to Miller’s back with
ease, utilized a suffocating top game and maintained a merciless
pursuit of submissions.
Already assured of retiring with one of the most electrifying
highlight reels of all-time, the ex-
Ring of
Combat champion made Dariush his latest addition with a
sensational knee strike in their UFC Fight Night 106 lightweight
attraction on March 11, 2017 at the Northeast Olympic Training
Center in Fortaleza, Brazil. It was later selected as Sherdog’s
“Knockout of the Year.” Barboza withstood heavy pressure from the
Kings MMA standout, pushed their battle to a second round and
uncorked a concussive blow while countering a level change.
Dariush, who had outperformed the Brazilian to that point,
collapsed to the canvas 3:35 into Round 2, the impact having
rendered him unconscious in an instant.
Dariush fought to a majority draw with
Xtreme Couture product in their three-round UFC 216 lightweight
feature on Oct. 7, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Judge Sal
A’mato saw it 29-28 for Dariush, while
Dave Hagen
and Glenn Trowbridge struck even 28-28 scorecards. Dariush had the
Las Vegas-based Oregon native in serious peril in the first round,
where a pair of standing elbows sent him to the canvas. Dunham ate
some hellacious ground-and-pound—including two brutal knees to the
body—but refused to yield to his opponent’s advances. All the hard
work cost Dariush valuable energy. Dunham responded in the second,
as he secured a takedown and capitalized against the visibly
fatigued Kings MMA export. Both men had their moments in Round 3
but failed to author the finish they needed and left their fate in
the hands of the cageside judiciary.
Multiple takedowns, stellar positional control and effective
ground-and-pound carried Dariush to a split decision over the
Fortis
MMA rep in their three-round UFC Fight Night 184 rematch on
Feb. 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges scored
it 29-28:
Jerin Valel
for Ferreira,
Chris Lee and
Dave
Hagen for Dariush. Ferreira withstood a brutal knee strike to
the body in the first round but ran into considerable difficulty
with takedown defense. Dariush grounded him repeatedly across the
first 10 minutes, frustrating the former Legacy Fighting
Championship titleholder with his relentless effort. Ferreira, to
his credit, never gave up his pursuit. He staggered Dariush with an
overhand right and front kick in the first round, then used his
hand speed advantage to rack up effective punching combinations in
the third. However, Ferreira’s efforts fell short on the
scorecards, and he went down to defeat for the first time in nearly
six years. Dariush now owns a 2-0 advantage in their head-to-head
series, having beaten the Brazilian by unanimous decision in their
first encounter in October 2014.