Lightweights
Beneil Dariush (16-4-1) vs. Frank Camacho (22-7)Advertisement
One of the more pleasant under-the-radar stories of the past year has been Dariush finally turning around his fortunes. Through 2016, Dariush slowly made his way up the lightweight rankings to the point that he was a fringe contender. Never the most explosive athlete, Dariush managed to implement a well-practiced pressure game that he backed up with strong wrestling and an excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu resume. However, come 2017, things started to swing wildly back against Dariush, beginning with Edson Barboza knocking him out cold with a spectacular flying knee. Even as far back as 2014, Dariush was getting sparked by quick aggression from Ramsey Nijem. That would portend some struggles to come between his losses to Barboza and Alexander Hernandez, who made his name off Dariush with a 42-second knockout. Since the Hernandez fight, Dariush has followed the approach of many before him with their backs against the wall and relied on his wrestling, which he used to control Thiago Moises and eventually earn a tap from Drew Dober. Any hope of Dariush ascending back to title contention looks to be done, at least for the moment, but it is still nice to see him find his footing once again in a deep division.
Camacho should be a fun next test for Dariush, especially since every one of his outings seems to be a contender for “Fight of the Night.” Guam’s Camacho comes from a submission background -- hence “The Crank” nickname -- but that is not apparent at all from how he fights, since he approaches every fight more than willing to throw down. Camacho does not often make things easy on himself; he is the epitome of a fighter who takes a while to get warmed up, so he has a tendency to get caught cold early before gaining momentum and turning things into a war. Camacho has traditionally been put in obvious action bouts during his UFC career, but after stepping in on short notice and stopping the defensively minded Nick Hein, there is the chance that he could be something more. A win here would do much to prove that sentiment true.
This is a test of Camacho’s ground game, since his obvious path to victory is to keep this fight standing. Assuming Camacho manages to keep Dariush at bay early, there is a solid chance he can take over the fight late. Dariush has traditionally started to tire late in fights, and Camacho’s high pace on the feet should be able to speed up that process. However, the likeliest scenario -- especially since Camacho is traditionally a slow starter -- is that Dariush establishes his pressure and wrestling game early and often, eventually finding his way to a finish. The pick is Dariush via first-round submission.
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