What’s Next For Beneil Dariush?

If you didn’t catch it, Arman Tsarukyan made quick work of Beneil Dariush a minute into the fight. After landing a grazing knee to the head, Tsarukyan quickly ended the fight with punches to the head. Unfortunately for Dariush, this marks his second consecutive loss, and at 34 years old, his chances of fighting for a title in the future have taken a significant hit.

Beneil Dariush, Image-MMA Fighting

How The Fight Went

After losing his eight-fight win streak against Charles Oliveira. Beneil needed to get back into the win column against the up-and-coming phenom Arman Tsarukyan to stay in contention. Entering as a +240 underdog. Both of Arman’s losses in the UFC came against Southpaws, making this fight a 50/50 fight. Also, Dariush came into the fight with an outstanding 80% takedown defense and five wins by submission. Everyone was eager to see how this fight was going to pan out.

During the fight’s initial moments, Dariush kept Arman at bay with his leg kicks and a couple of quick strikes. However, Arman quickly closed the gap, threw a knee to the chin that just nicked him, and proceeded to hit Beneil with an overhand right, leaving him unconscious. Everyone knew how dangerous Arman was, especially with his wrestling, but nobody saw this knockout coming, or at least within the first minute. With a record of 22-6-1 and back-to-back losses in the first round, Dariush finds himself in an interesting spot.

Beneil Dariush, Image-MMA Fighting

`What’s Next?

Dariush’s recent back-to-back losses by knockout have certainly been a setback for him, but it’s unlikely he will fall out of the top ten in the Middleweight division. Despite the losses, Dariush remains an elite southpaw fighter with great submissions and takedown defense, making him a problem for anyone in the division. While his title dream may be done, there are still plenty of fighters in the top 15 that he can beat, or compete with, competitively. And his skills and experience make him a gatekeeper hard to get through. It will be exciting to see who his next opponent is.