An intriguing matchup at lightweight has been added to
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming return to the Lone
Star State.
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Perennial lightweight contender Beneil
Dariush (22-5) will take on surging prospect Arman
Tsarukyan (20-3) on Dec. 2, in Austin, Texas. The matchup was
first reported by MMA Mania. Dariush is fresh off a first-round
knockout loss against former champ Charles
Oliveira that snapped a spectacular eight-fight win streak.
Oliveira earned a title rematch with his win over Dariush while
ending the hopes of a title shot that many believe should have come
much earlier for “Benny.” Regardless, a gold bid shouldn’t be far
off for the 34-year-old, provided he gets his hand raised against
Tsarukyan.
Meanwhile, Tsarukyan made his promotional debut against reigning
champ Islam
Makhachev back in 2019, coming up on the short side of a “Fight
of the Night” unanimous decision. “Ahalkalakets” bounced back with
a five-fight win streak that included wins over the likes of
Matt
Frevola and Christos
Giagos. That streak ended with a unanimous decision defeat
against Mateusz
Gamrot in a “Fight of the Night” last June. Incidentally,
Gamrot’s very next fight saw him upended by Dariush via decision at
UFC 280 in October.
Tsarukyan bounced back from the Gamrot defeat by handing Russian
standout Damir
Ismagulov his first UFC loss before securing a Round 2
technical knockout against Joaquim
Silva in his last Octagon outing back in June. Currently ranked
No. 8 at lightweight, Tsarukyan has been respectfully rallying for
the Dariush matchup ever since his last win and seemed confident
that the No. 4 ranked contender would accept it. While the American
Top Team product might be a few fights away from challenging for
the title, a win over Dariush would be a major step in that
direction.
The UFC’s as-yet unnumbered Dec. 2, at Moody Arena in Austin. While
the “UFC Austin” lineup has yet to be finalized, the presumptive
headliner pits former middleweight title challenger Jared
Cannonier against rising contender Roman
Dolidze. The main card also features a bantamweight scrap
between Rob
Font and former flyweight champ Deiveson
Figueiredo.