Tag: Beneil Dariush

Arman Tsarukyan def. Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN 52: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Arman Tsarukyan’s first-round knockout win over Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]’s first-round knockout win over [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 52 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. (Photos by Dustin Safranek, USA TODAY Sports)

Social media reacts to Arman Tsarukyan’s 64-second KO of Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN 52

The MMA community reacted to Arman Tsarukyan’s brutal knockout of Beneil Dariush in the UFC Austin main event.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] got the signature win on his resume he’s been looking for on Saturday when he emerged triumphant over [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] in the UFC on ESPN 52 main event.

Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) took a big leap forward in the lightweight division with a 64-second kncokout victory against Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) in the headlining bout at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, and now he’s got only massive fights on the horizon at 155 pounds.

Check below for the top X (formerly Twitter) reactions to Tsarukyan beating Dariush at UFC on ESPN 52.

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UFC on ESPN 52 faceoff highlights: Noticeable height differences on main card

Check out the UFC on ESPN 25 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs from Austin, Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas – The UFC on ESPN 52 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs took place Friday at Moody Center, the site of Saturday’s fights, and MMA Junkie was in attendance.

Atop the bill, contenders [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) go toe-to-toe in a five-round bout. The co-main event stays at lightweight as [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) battles short-notice foe [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC).

Also on the card, [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 10-3-1 UFC) welcomes former UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (21-3-1 MMA, 10-6 UFC) to the bantamweight division. Other fights include [autotag]Sean Brady[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] (18-8 MMA, 12-8 UFC), and [autotag]Julia Avila[/autotag] (9-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) vs. [autotag]Miesha Tate[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 6-6 UFC).

Check out the full ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs highlights in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 faceoff video: No throat grabs during Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan

Although Arman Tsarukyan went for the jugular of Bobby Green earlier in the week, he kept hands to himself as he stared down Beneil Dariush.

AUSTIN, Texas – Although [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] went for the jugular during a physical altercation with Bobby Green earlier in fight week at the host hotel, Friday’s faceoff with [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] remained classy.

Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) and Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) collide in a five-round lightweight main event Saturday at Moody Center. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

The two lightweights remained respectful yet intense as the sized each other up for the final time before they throw down inside the cage.

Tsarukyan, 27, aims to extend his winning streak to three after consecutive victories over Damir Ismagulov and Joaquim Silva. Tsarukyan’s only UFC losses have come against Islam Makhachev and Mateusz Gamrot.

Dariush, 34, looks to bounce back from a TKO loss to Charles Oliveira in June. The fight was a title eliminator and snapped Dariush’s eight-fight winning streak that had dated back to 2018.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 video: Beneil Dariush, Arman Tsarukyan make weight in Austin

The UFC on ESPN 52 main event is official after headliners Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan made weight in Austin.

AUSTIN, Texas – Saturday’s UFC main event is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

Ahead of UFC on ESPN 52, which takes place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.

The pair were the first two to come to the scale during the two-hour session at the host hotel in Austin. Tsarukyan was 155.5 pounds. Dariush was right behind him and was 156 to make the fight official.

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Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Beneil Dariush: Dustin Poirier turned down two fights because ‘I don’t get him excited, I guess’

Beneil Dariush has moved on from the idea of fighting former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] has moved on from the idea of fighting [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag].

Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) claims he was offered Poirier on two occasions, but “The Diamond” turned the fights down. Poirier has said in past interviews he’s seeking fights that excite him, just like the Justin Gaethje rematch at UFC 291 did.

Dariush won’t beg for the matchup if Poirier (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) isn’t interested.

“I’ve seen interviews with Dustin, and he’s not really interested in fighting me,” Dariush told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I don’t get him excited, I guess, the way he puts it. My understanding is when Jon Jones got hurt, they were hoping to boost (UFC 295) up with Dustin Poirier and myself, and they called him and he wasn’t interested.

“I believe they even tried for this date. This is what I was told. I’m not sure what he was told on his side, but they were also given the option to fight this date with me and he turned down both of them. That’s what I’ve been told.”

Dariush drew rising contender Arman Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) instead. The pair headline Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 event at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Dariush explains that fighting Poirier would definitely excite him, but holds no grudge if the sentiment isn’t reciprocated.

“I can’t force a man to fight me,” Dariush said. “The opportunity to fight a guy like Dustin Poirier would be amazing because of his skills and what he’s done in this sport, but I understand his legacy and he wants certain types of fights, and he’s done what he’s done in this sport. If he wants to pick his fights at this point, all the best.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC free fight: Beneil Dariush edges Diego Ferreira in technical, but wild Fight of the Night

Watch Beneil Dariush and Diego Ferreira go toe to toe in a technical, but wild Fight of the Night.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] has proved to be one of the more technical fighters at 155 pounds, but at times, can also be one of the more exciting as well. Two things that often don’t go together in the fight game.

Back in February 2021, Dariush went toe to toe with fellow jiu-jitsu standout Diego Ferreira on the main card of UFC Fight Night 184.  It was a fight full of big strikes, crazy scrambles, and crafty submission attempts. That night in Las Vegas, Dariush won the fight by split decision and took home an extra $50,000 for Fight of the Night awards.

You can watch Dariush’s win over Ferreira in the video above.

Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) returns to the cage this Saturday in the main event of UFC on ESPN 52, which takes place at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. He takes on Arman Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a key lightweight bout. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Beneil Dariush: ‘I gain nothing’ from beating Arman Tsarukyan in UFC on ESPN 52 headliner

From a career advancement standpoint, Beneil Dariush sees minimal upside to Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 main event with Arman Tsarukyan

AUSTIN, Texas – From a career standpoint, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] sees minimal upside to Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 main event with Arman Tsarukyan.

In terms of the competition, though, he’s all in.

Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) is scheduled to face Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a five-round headliner at Moody Center. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+. With the No. 5 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, Dariush is in a position in which he has to defend his spot against No. 13-ranked Tsarukyan.

“In terms of status, nothing – I gain nothing from this fight,” Dariush told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 52 media day. “If I win, I don’t think my ranking will change. If I lose, I’m definitely going to get dropped quite a bit. But I’m an athlete who loves to compete and I like to compete against the best people in the world. That’s what motivates me to compete.

“It’s not an issue of rankings. It’s not an issue of status, where it’s going to leave me. I want to make sure before I retire I fight the best guys in the world, and I think I’m doing that.”

Dariush, 34, has been consistent with his messaging about how he handles his career. He’s taken the matchups presented to him and fought downward on the rankings multiple times, but when he most recently had his chance to fight up, he stumbled.

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After putting together an eight-fight winning streak at 155 pounds that included the likes of Mateusz Gamrot, Tony Ferguson and Drew Dober, he got the opportunity to fight former champ Charles Oliveira at uFC 289 in June. It did not go Dariush’s way, however, and he lost by first-round TKO.

Dariush said he learned important lessons from the defeat against the highest level of the weight class, and now he’s ready to show he can compete at that level against a surging name in Tsarukyan.

“I think he’s a stud,” Dariush said. “If you look at him in every aspect, he can fight: He can grapple, he can strike, he can mix it up. He’s 27 – he’s a young kid, and that makes him dangerous. When you’re young, you grow in leaps and bounds. I don’t look at him as the last fight or the fight before that. I look at him as a better version. What can he do to be better? I look at that version and prepare for that version.”

Tsarukyan enters UFC on ESPN 52 as a sizable betting favorite over Dariush. That’s a testament to the upside many people see in his career, but Dariush is here to shut that down – for now.

He knows it won’t be an easy task, but Dariush thinks he has what it takes to emerge victorious.

“I think the edge is going to be in experience,” Dariush said. “I think I’m more experienced and I can find little things here and there to create a greater gap between our skill set. I’m hoping I can create that gap and then find that finish, whether it’s a submission or a knockout. But the requirement is to be able to pull away slowly, because our skill levels are so close and his style is so good that I will have to break him little by little.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Arman Tsarukyan says he can talk title fight with UFC on ESPN 52 main event finish of Beneil Dariush

Arman Tsarukyan expects to firmly enter the lightweight title discussion with a definitive win over Beneil Dariush at UFC on ESPN 52.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] sees [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] as the obstacle in the way of everything he wants in his career.

After repeatedly calling for big names at lightweight, Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) finally get his opportunity Saturday when he meets Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner, which takes place at Moody Center with a main card on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

A winner of seven of his past eight fights, Tsarukyan has been working hard to put traction around his name in a top-heavy and star-studded 155-pound division. If he can deliver a statement win against a perennial contender in Dariush, Tsarukyan is confident he will elevate to the next level.

“Finally, I got a big fight, and I’m so excited,” Tsarukyan told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 52 media day. “If I finish him, I can talk about a title fight.”

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Talking about a title fight and actually getting one are two different things. Tsarukyan, No. 12 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, said he understands that fact, and that no matter how impressively he might beat No. 5-ranked Dariush, he will keep grounded and stay the course.

His overall goal is to fight for the belt next year, ideally in a rematch with Islam Makhachev, who spoiled Tsarukyan’s octagon debut by unanimous decision in April 2019. But if Tsarukyan needs to win multiple fights before he gets his shot, he said he will not complain.

“For me, it doesn’t matter,” Tsarukyan said. “I’m just looking for a victory this weekend. After that, if they tell me, ‘You need three more fights,’ I’m going to fight three more times, then get the title fight. My goal next year is to fight for the title.”

Tsarukyan, 27, made it clear he’s not overlooking Dariush, 34, by any stretch. He could have a difficult five-round fight ahead, but is confident he knows how things will unfold.

“He’s a well-rounded fighter,” Tsarukyan said. “I think he’s going to wait for what I’m going to do and check out what my game plan’s going to be, then try to defend my wrestling and strike me – and I think he wants to try to take me down, too.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action Nov. 30-Dec. 2

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to The Lone Star State’s capitol.

UFC on ESPN 52 takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas is headlined by a lightweight bout between [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Nov. 30-Dec. 2.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.