Serra-Longo’s Al Iaquinta and Kings MMA’s Beneil Dariush are two of the hottest prospects in the UFC’s lightweight division. Now they’re looking towards each other for their next test.
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani reported Wednesday on UFC Tonight that Iaquinta wants to put his impressive win streak on the line against Dariush sometime in July, ideally at either UFC 189 on July 11 or UFC Fight Night 71 on July 15. And according to Dariush’s manager Ali Abdel-Aziz, either of those ideas sound just fine.
With the momentum of competing four-fight win streaks at their backs, Iaquinta (12-3-1) and Dariush (11-1) are currently jostling for the same space at the lower end of the UFC’s top-15 lightweight rankings.
The 27-year-old Iaquinta shot to the No. 13 spot with his recent split decision victory over Jorge Masival. While controversial, the win extended an otherwise remarkable 7-1 run inside the UFC for Iaquinta, which began in 2012 after the New Yorker fell short in the TUF 15 finals, and includes violent knockout wins over veterans Ross Pearson and Joe Lauzon.
Likewise, the 25-year-old Dariush made his debut in the UFC’s media-generated rankings at No. 14 this past weekend after dominating Jim Miller via unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 15. A decorated jiu-jitsu artist, Dariush has been putting his skills to work, submitting Charlie Brenneman, Tony Martin, and Daron Cruickshank while showcasing a steadily improving striking game under the tutelage of Rafael Cordeiro.