Fan favorite lightweight contender Beneil Dariush has revealed who has been his hardest opponent within the UFC up to now, and it’s not a former world champion.
From former champions Charles Oliveira and Tony Ferguson to dangerous contenders Mateusz Gamrot and Edson Barboza, veteran UFC fighter Beneil Dariush has faced a who’s-who of top-tier lightweight talent within the octagon – but who has given ‘Benny’ his hardest fight?
Beneil Dariush called out by Dan Hooker for return fight
Earlier this week, Dan Hooker listed Beneil Dariush as his top alternative for his next UFC fight, telling AllStar Sport that whilst “he’s been very quiet about shooting his shot,” once a proposal is made and “I get a contract through, I’ll sign that in about two seconds.”
Speaking via The Schmo YouTube channel, Dariush responded by stating “I don’t really care who they provide me, that being said after I come back if the UFC says Moicano I’ll be like great; in the event that they say Dan Hooker, great; if they provide me someone top 5, great – whoever they provide me, I’ll take it.”
Beneil Dariush reveals who has been his ‘hardest’ opponent within the UFC
The fan-favorite MMA reporter also asked Dariush who he thought had been his hardest opponent up to now within the UFC; on condition that ‘Benny’ made his promotional debut in 2014 and has faced multiple world champions since, you’d think that may be a tricky query to reply.
Whilst the primary two names were unsurprisingly Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira, his two most up-to-date opponents, Dariush noted that he couldn’t say either of them was his hardest foe considering how quickly they’d each dispatched him back in 2023.
“Obviously, I didn’t really get a probability to check Arman [Tsarukyan] out or Charles [Oliveira]. Charles had some interesting things – he was tricky and experienced, but I actually didn’t get to spend an excessive amount of time with them.”
Dariush’s last victory within the UFC octagon got here in October 2022 against Polish wrestler Mateusz Gamrot, who was also considered one of the athletes Dariush said gave him considered one of his hardest tests to this point:
“Gamrot was, how do I put it, he just wouldn’t go away. He has this spirit, like he’s immovable with an indomitable spirit just that keeps coming you already know – that was the thing about Gamrot,” said the 34-year-old, before finally selecting a surprising final answer:
“I feel probably the most tricky guy I’ve fought is Rashid Magomedov.”
Whilst not particularly a household name nowadays, Rashid Magomedov competed within the UFC between 2014 – 2017 and went 5-1 within the promotion with notable wins over Bobby Green and Gilbert Burns.
In truth, Rashid was the primary person to defeat Burns within the UFC, with the Brazilian possessing an ideal 10-0 record as knowledgeable heading into their 2015 clash.
So, why did Dariush consider Magomedov to be his biggest challenge up to now? For the easy reason when the pair locked horns in Mexico City back in 2016, Rashid refused to let fatigue stop him from reaching the judges’ scorecards.
“This was at altitude, [and] he was dying, like [he was] so drained, but he just kept finding little tricks here and there to remain competitive within the fight.”
Coach Rafael Cordeiro reveals ‘head trauma’ during camp
After two straight first-round knockout losses to Tsarukyan and Oliveira, Dariush has taken a well-deserved step back from hard sparring with head coach Rafael Cordeiro having recently revealed that ‘Benny’ suffered a concerning amount of head trauma in 2023.
Speaking via the Trocação Franca podcast, Cordeiro shared that Dariush “was knocked down twice and knocked out once within the gym” even before the 2 TKO losses within the UFC octagon.
“He had five situations in the course of the yr where his head was hurt. He’s a young kid, and it was a request I made for him to take a while. I don’t worry as a coach; I worry as a father. I actually have him as my kid and I don’t have to put him to real test for nothing without delay.”
“Let’s see the fights that make sense for him for the moment he’s physically recovered,” said the veteran trainer, before adding:
“I’m not talking about confidence, he has confidence – it’s more of a neurological thing, I would like him to fret about it for a moment because he was hit lots.”
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