Beneil Dariush has a statistical advantage over Tony Ferguson on the mat.
The main event of Saturday’s UFC 262 fight card will decide the next UFC lightweight champion. While the headlining matchup between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler will be the focus of the event, the co-main event is also a matchup of consequence.
In the co-headliner, former interim lightweight titleholder Tony Ferguson faces Beneil Dariush. Ferguson is on the first losing skid of his career, having dropped fights to Justin Gaethje and Oliveira in his two most recent outings. Dariush is riding a six-fight winning streak ahead of UFC 262.
Ferguson is the No. 5 ranked fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings, while Dariush checks in at No. 9.
Ferguson struggled with the wrestling and ground game of Oliveira. The Brazilian went three-for-three in takedowns, racked up 11:39 in control time and attempted three submissions against Ferguson. With that in mind, Dariush could consider a grappling heavy approach against Ferguson.
Dariush has 23 successful takedowns at lightweight, which puts him in the top-10 among active UFC lightweights. Dariush also ranks in the top 10 among active 155-pounders in submission wins, control time, control time percentage, top position, top position percentage and he is among the top-10 in lowest bottom percentage time. In his most recent fight, Dariush scored five takedowns on 15 attempts and had over seven minutes of control time against Diego Ferreira.
Before UFC 262 takes place, take a look at how Ferguson and Dariush matchup in key stats.
UFC 262 takes place at Toyota Center in Houston, TX. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ESPN+.