Is Beniel Dariush A Threat To The 155lb Champion?

Last weekend’s UFC 262 was an event that saw some much needed movement take place within the UFC’s recently stagnant lightweight division.

Now, of course, I say stagnant due to us not having seen some of its best fighters in action for a while now - as well as the long span of time it has spent without a champion crowned. 

But with Charles Oliveira now in possession of the 155lb crown, it does feel as though lightweight is in a very good spot as we move into the second half of 2021. 

And while we covered Do Bronx and his historic TKO victory over Michael Chandler in an earlier video - a video I would urge you to check out as soon as you’re done with this one - for this piece, I wanted to focus on the dominant effort turned in by Beniel Dariush in the co-main event, and how that has affected my perception of him as a potential threat to elite of this division.

Because whether you think this was a case of Dariush finally blossoming into the talent we always thought he could be, or just Tony Ferguson showing the signs of decline, Beniel has now inserted his name into that top-3 and will likely step into his next fight knowing it’s the biggest of his entire career. 

So what exactly went down in the UFC 262 co-main event?