Tag: Beneil Dariush

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.

UFC on ESPN 52 pre-event facts: Deiveson Figueiredo brings record resume to new division

The best facts about UFC on ESPN 52, which features a loaded lineup with multiple former champions who own key octagon records.

The UFC travels to Austin, Texas for the fifth time in its history Saturday with UFC on ESPN 52, which takes place at Moody Center with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Elite lightweights will meet in the main event of the card, with [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) looking to start a new winning streak against the surging [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a five-round bout that will have significant implications on the divisional rankings.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 52.

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Renato Moicano gives predictions for Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Bobby Green vs. Jalin Turner

Check out Renato Moicano’s picks for UFC on ESPN 52.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] has his eye on this Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52.

The UFC lightweight contender knows the division could go under a major change depending on what happens in the main and co-main bouts of the card.

At the top of the bill, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] returns from his loss to former champion Charles Oliveira to fight rising contender [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]. It’s a big fight in the weight class and one Moicano sees Tsarukyan winning.

“Beneil Dariush, even though he’s getting kind of old, he still beat the new guy in the UFC, Mateusz Gamrot – a very good guy, very good grappler,” Moicano said on his YouTube channel. “Mateusz beat Tsarukyan. It’s so tough to choose. Some people are saying since Mateusz beat Tsarukyan, he (Dariush) will beat Tsarukyan, but I don’t think so. He has a good game to beat guys like Mateusz Gamrot, he’s a good wrestler, but when it comes to hold positions on the ground, he loses the position, that’s why he lost the fight.

“… I think Tsarukyan – even though his last fight against ‘Neto’ wasn’t his best performance, he almost got knocked out if you remember – I think he will beat Beneil Dariush shooting for takedowns and controlling on the ground. One thing that Tsarukyan does well is controlling people on the ground and throw elbows. I think that will be a huge factor on the fight. I can see this fight coming to a decision because Beneil Dariush is very tough, and he’s going to survive. But still, I think Arman Tsarukyan will beat Beneil Dariush in a decision.”

In the co-main event, [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] takes on short notice replacement [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag], who stepping in on two weeks notice to replace an injured Dan Hooker.

Moicano has questions about Turner’s weight given the short-notice nature of the fight, and whether or not the fight will go down. However, if the fight goes on with a weight miss or not, he’s going with Turner.

“In my opinion, I think Jalin Turner will beat Bobby Green,” Moicano said.
“Why? Because he’s too tall and has a good guillotine. I don’t think Bobby will shoot for takedowns, especially because of Jalin Turner’s frame, but he will have trouble with the reach of Jalin Turner. Jalin Turner is coming off two losses and didn’t make the weight against Hooker, fair enough. I wonder how he’s going to make weight. The weight for me was a factor to try to get the Bobby Green fight, because it would be hard to make 155 for me.

“I don’t know Jalin Turner. Maybe he’s even heavier than me and that could affect him in the weight cut and the fight. But still, if he doesn’t make the weight and they still fight, I think Jalin Turner will be better than Bobby Green.”

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

Arman Tsarukyan: If I want to fight for the title I have to finish Beneil Dariush in UFC main event

Beating Beneil Dariush is not enough for Arman Tsarukyan at UFC on ESPN 52.

Beating [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] is not enough for [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].

Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner Dec. 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Although Dariush is a top five UFC lightweight, Tsarukyan thinks he needs to make a statement if he wants to enter the title picture. Dariush was on an eight-fight winning streak until he ran into Charles Oliveira, who stopped him by first-round TKO at UFC 289 in June.

“They (fans) got to expect the best performance from Arman Tsarukyan,” Tsarukyan said in an interview with Middle Easy. “The best KO. Definitely, it’s going to be a finish. So, If I want to fight for the title, I’ve got to finish.

“If I’m going to win barely, people are going to talk, ‘Oh Oliveira knocked him out, you just barely win him, what are you talking about?’ So that’s why I’ve got to perform very well and knock him out. To be honest, I like a lot Dariush. I like the fighter, I like the guy, so I’ve got to give him respect.”

Tsarukyan has gone five rounds once in his career when he lost a razor thin Fight of the Night decision to Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022. Meanwhile, UFC on ESPN 52 marks Dariush’s first 25-minute fight.

“Before Gamrot, I had never fought five rounds,” Tsarukyan said. “Now I fought five rounds and I have that experience. Now I know how to control my gas. Beneil never had a five-round fight so that’s good. I already have that, and I have more experience in five rounds. Hopefully it’s not going to be five rounds, I want to finish him early.”

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