5 Defining Moments: Beneil Dariush

Beneil Dariush could be one step away from securing an elusive title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.

The 34-year-old Kings MMA representative will look to cement himself as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds when he confronts Charles Oliveira in the UFC 289 co-main event on Saturday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dariush enters the Octagon with the wind of a career-best eight-fight winning streak in his sails. He last appeared at UFC 280, where he outpointed former two-division KSW champion Mateusz Gamrot to a unanimous decision in their three-round encounter on Oct. 22.

As Dariush sets his sights on Oliveira, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. When Reality Bites

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 finalist Ramsey Nijem blasted through the previously unbeaten Dariush with punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 39 lightweight showcase on April 11, 2014 at Du Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Nijem finished it 4:20 into Round 1. A counter left hook marked the beginning of the end for Dariush. He retreated to the fence, where Nijem swarmed him with punches and threatened him with a guillotine choke. Dariush fought valiantly to remain a factor in the bout, but his adversary gave him no refuge. Nijem kept firing punches, moved to mount and ultimately settled in a kneeling position, unleashing one last barrage that forced the stoppage.

2. Road Warrior

Dariush stepped in as a short-notice replacement for the injured Paul Felder, leaned on his world-class ground game and claimed a unanimous decision from Jim Miller in their featured UFC on Fox 15 prelim on April 18, 2015 the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards. After a closely contested first round, Dariush took off. The Rafael Cordeiro protege landed multiple takedowns, proved superior in the scrambles and slowly wore down Miller. Dariush achieved full mount on his fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt three times over the final 10 minutes. He also transitioned to Miller’s back with ease, utilized a suffocating top game and maintained a merciless pursuit of submissions.

3. Not Yet a Top Gun

Michael Chiesa dispatched the former Respect in the Cage champion with a second-round rear-naked choke as part of the UFC on Fox 19 undercard on April 16, 2016 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Dariush tapped out 1:20 into Round 2. Early returns were not promising for Chiesa. Dariush chewed up his lead leg with kicks and knocked him off-balance with left hooks and overhand rights in a one-sided first round. “The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner was not dissuaded. Chiesa struck for a takedown 30 seconds into the middle stanza, advanced to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt’s back and cinched the choke in a standing position. After a brief struggle, Dariush raised the white flag of surrender. It remains the only submission defeat of his career.

4. On the Button

Dariush silenced his remaining naysayers with a spectacular one-punch knockout of Drakkar Klose in the second round of their UFC 248 lightweight feature on March 7, 2020 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Klose met his end 60 seconds into Round 2. Dariush controlled the first five minutes with superior grappling, as he climbed to the back, secured his position with a standing body triangle and hunted rear-naked chokes. A firefight broke out at the start of the second round, where both men were staggered by power punches. Dariush pushed Klose backward and uncorked a hellacious left hook that froze the MMA Lab rep and brought their encounter to a sudden and dramatic close.

5. Final Word

Multiple takedowns, stellar positional control and effective ground-and-pound carried Dariush to a split decision over Diego Ferreira in their three-round UFC Fight Night 184 rematch on Feb. 6, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three members of the judiciary scored it 29-28: Jerin Valel for Ferreira, Chris Lee and Dave Hagen for Dariush, who moved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with the Brazilian. Ferreira withstood a brutal knee strike to the body in the first round but ran into considerable difficulty with takedown defense. Dariush grounded him repeatedly across the first 10 minutes, frustrating the former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder with his relentless effort. Ferreira, to his credit, never gave up his pursuit. He staggered Dariush with an overhand right and front kick in the first round, then used his hand speed advantage to rack up effective punching combinations in the third. However, Ferreira’s efforts fell short on the scorecards, and he went down to defeat for the first time in nearly six years.