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Top UFC contender says he never saw title shot coming despite impressive 8-fight win streak

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow
By Christopher De Santiago | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 10:25 PM ET

Title fights have been hard to come by in the UFC lightweight division.

Over the years, we’ve seen several streaking contenders like Tony Ferguson and Arman Tsarukyan go without an opportunity at the undisputed title.

Of course, Tsarukyan and Ferguson were both scheduled to fight for the undisputed title at one point but withdrew due to injury.

As for Beneil Dariush, the former #3-ranked lightweight was never offered a title fight despite his array of wins in the talent-rich division, which included a near-finish of former interim champ Ferguson and a decision effort over UFC Rio headliner Mateusz Gamrot.

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Beneil Dariush ‘never felt’ like UFC was going to give him a title shot

For a time, Dariush had the second-longest win streak in the lightweight division at 8 behind former champ Islam Makhachev.

Dariush went undefeated from 2019 to 2022. In 2023, the lightweight title shot went to featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski twice, as he also replaced Charles Oliveira on short notice at UFC 294 for a rematch against Makhachev.

Prior to having his eight-fight win streak snapped by Oliveira earlier that year, Dariush admitted that he didn’t think the UFC would give him a title shot.

“It’s a such a weird division and it’s even weirder for me,” Dariush told Helen Yee.

“You never know what’s gonna happen.

“At some point, I was on an eight-fight win streak and I never, it never felt like I was gonna get the title shot,” Dariush continued.

“And they didn’t, it didn’t seem like they were gonna give it to me.

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“So now, one more fight. I don’t know where it puts me. But the goal is to just dominate. I have to put myself to a position where there’s no other choice [than to give me a title fight].

“That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna give them no other choice,” Dariush said ahead of his upcoming fight against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322.

Dariush, 36, has won nine out of his last eleven fights. He’s currently ranked #9 in the UFC lightweight division after defeating former title challenger Renato Moicano by unanimous decision at UFC 317.

There’s a category of contenders like Beneil Dariush

Not every fighter who has cracked the top 5 of the division has made it to a world title fight.

Like Dariush, the recently-retired Jimmie Rivera was once ranked #3 in the world and had a stellar 21-1 record in 2017.

The former UFC bantamweight contender never fought for the title as he dropped a title eliminator bout to Marlon Moraes by first round TKO, who went on to fight Henry Cejudo for the vacant title in 2019.

Also considering retirement is Cub Swanson, another top contender who didn’t get a crack at gold in the UFC.

Swanson was on the verge of a title opportunity in 2017, but he had his four-fight win streak snapped by a then undefeated Brian Ortega.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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