Can ‘Old Man Benny’ Make One Last Run at a Title Shot?
Beneil Dariush, just two years ago, was on an eight-fight win streak and looked primed to give the then-Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev a true test. After back-to-back knockout losses in round one against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, it looked like his time at the top of the division was over. However, at UFC 317, Dariush was able to return to form after being knocked down in round one to beat Renato Moicano by unanimous decision. With Ilia Topuria becoming the new Lightweight Champion at UFC 317, he will be looking for new and exciting challengers. Can Benny Dariush make one final run at a long-awaited title shot, or will the battles he has competed in over the years finally be too much to overcome?
Dariush, pound for pound, is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC. He has proved on multiple occasions that he is almost impossible to take down. In his fight with Mateuz Gamrot at UFC 280, he was able to stuff 15 out of Gamrot’s 19 takedown attempts, and his grappling is so high-level he was only on his back for a total of two minutes. When you mix his wrestling with his grappling and incredibly powerful left hand, he has the makings of a future champion. However, the major reason his path is harder than it should be is that his chin is basically gone. He can’t take any straight strikes and he will go down. When we look at the landscape of the lightweight division, there are a lot of heavy hitters who only need one shot to put Dariush out. If he chooses his cards right, he may be able to put a slight win streak together and earn himself a title shot.
Dariush is currently ranked number nine and will most likely need two solid wins to calm his shot for a title shot. Looking at the fighters in front of him, two fighters stand out that he will be able to have the most success with. The first one is running back his matchup with Mateusz Gamrot. He won’t need to worry about power coming back in his direction, and he has already proved he’s the better all-around grappler. The way he kicks to better set up his striking allows him to get the upper hand in this fight. The second fighter he could look to set up a fight with is Dan Hooker. After Hooker shocked everyone when he was able to beat Gamrot in 2024 and secure a top five ranking in the division he has not fought since. Inactivity and injuries could play a role in how he performs moving forward, and Dariush could slide in and take advantage of his layoff and get back into the top five once again.
In terms of skills, there are a few with the overall abilities that Dariush has. Age and durability will make or break how far he takes this second chance. If the UFC doesn’t feed him to the wolves and gives me a chance to climb the rankings, I can see him eventually securing a long-awaited title shot. We will see what Dana White and the rest of his committee plan to do with ‘Old Man Benny’ moving forward.
