If Carlos Diego Ferreira wants to prove his mettle, he’ll have to beat Beneil Dariush this Saturday at UFC 179.
Dariush is not the most glamorous name in the UFC lightweight division, but he’s a dangerous opponent for Ferreira, one of the brightest prospects in the weight class right now. If Ferreira can overcome this latest challenge and run his UFC record to a perfect 3-0 (and 12-0 as a pro), the 29-year-old may force his way past that velvet rope that keeps all of us mortals out of the contender section.
If nothing else, a win would probably help him prove one of two things: first, that he has some of the best jiu-jitsu in the division, and second, that his overall game is evolving into more of a complete threat.
Taking the former first, Ferreira is a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He doesn’t have the global bona fides or flashy camp name of some of his fellow Brazil natives (Ferreira now lives in the United States, by the way), but his accomplishments in the cage do plenty of their own talking. Six of his 11 pro wins have come by submission; he’s no one-trick pony either, using four different moves to garner those tapouts.
And look at what he did to Colton Smith in his UFC debut. Ferreira made the scrappy grinder and The Ultimate Fighter winner look utterly ordinary, choking out the Army veteran in a mere 38 seconds. It encapsulated what makes Ferreira dangerous in that phase: Give him one tiny crevice and he will bull his way through. You don’t have to ask him twice to do something slick and mean with a wayward arm or idle breath.
The standing phase is his work in progress. He doesn’t have the power double or the razor-sharp striking attack one typically needs to get the action horizontal.
Ramsey Nijem can tell you all about Ferreira’s punching power, but Ferreira is not the kind of muay thai mad surgeon they produce in places like Nova Uniao. He’s a counterpuncher who is waiting to spring his trap on those who wade in.
Dariush will probably try to wade in, as he likes to go for the takedown or trip from the clinch. There is opportunity there for Ferreira. Dariush—who was knocked out by Nijem earlier this year—is an unabashed (and very, very good) grappling specialist.
If Ferreira can sprawl out those takedown attempts or punish Dariush with strikes, that would be a good sign. Dariush is no Anderson Silva, so Ferreira should test himself in space by firing off some punch-kick combinations.
If he can pass those sorts of tests and keep clear of Dariush’s takedowns and extended top control, it would be an impressive effort indeed. Would a win put him in line for a title shot? Of course not, especially in a division as stacked as lightweight.
Would it push him into the next level of name fighters? With an impressive win that demonstrates further skill and evolution, the answer could very well be in the affirmative.
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