Tag: Beneil Dariush

Exclusive – Renato Moicano calls for a fight with Beneil Dariush at UFC 301 in Brazil: ‘It’s going to be amazing’

Renato MoicanoRising lightweight contender Renato Moicano knows the where, the when, and the who when it comes to his next…

Renato Moicano

Rising lightweight contender Renato Moicano knows the where, the when, and the who when it comes to his next opponent. He’s just waiting for the UFC to give it their seal of approval.

Money’ returned to the Octagon on Saturday night (Feb. 3) for a co-main event clash with division standout Drew Dober. The two fighters engaged in an entertaining and bloody brawl for three rounds, but in the end, it was Moicano’s grappling that scored him a unanimous decision victory — his 10th under the UFC banner.

The win has Moicano holding tight in the No. 13 spot on the rankings and hoping that his next fight will offer him an opportunity to break into the top ten.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Renato Moicano revealed that No. 7 ranked Beneil Dariush is on his radar and he already has the perfect location for their proposed scrap.

“I think that Beneil Dariush is a fight that makes sense,” Moicano said. “The UFC, I think they always try to do matchups that make sense, and me versus Dariush is the fight to make. Especially in Brazil for UFC 301. I think it’s going to be amazing. I want to fight in Brazil.”

Riding the momentum of eight wins in a row and on the cusp of his first UFC title opportunity, Darish suffered a massive setback when he fell to former lightweight world champion Charles Oliveira in the opening round of their UFC 289 confrontation.

Since then, ‘Benny’ added another loss to his resume via a 64-second knockout at the hands of Arman Tsarukyan in December. With back-to-back defeats, Dariush now likely finds himself in a position where he’ll have to fight down in the rankings to re-establish himself as a viable contender for the 155-pound crown.

“I think he’s not in a position where he can choose his opponents,” Moicano continued. “He’s coming off two losses. He’s not that young anymore and people are trying to fight him all over. I don’t know what the UFC is going to do, but I don’t think Beneil Dariush has that many choices. But let’s see what the UFC thinks because, at the end of the day, they choose.”

Watch the full exclusive interview with Renato Moicano below:

Renato Moicano calls for fight with Beneil Dariush at UFC 301 after win over Drew Dober: ‘See you in Brazil’

Renato Moicano calls for a fight with Beneil Dariush at UFC 301 see you in BrazilOff the back of his decision win over knockout artist, Drew Dober at UFC Vegas 85 overnight, Brazilian fan-favorite…

Renato Moicano calls for a fight with Beneil Dariush at UFC 301 see you in Brazil

Off the back of his decision win over knockout artist, Drew Dober at UFC Vegas 85 overnight, Brazilian fan-favorite lightweight Renato Moicano has already called his shot for a return – in the form of a UFC 301 clash with perennial contender, Beniel Dariush in a Brazil homecoming in July.

Moicano, who entered last night’s UFC Vegas 85 co-main event fight with Dober as the number thirteenth ranked lightweight contender, turned in his second straight win in the form of a decision win over the former – following a rear-naked choke submission win against Brad Riddell at UFC 281 most recently.

And vowing to get his wife pregnant in celebration following last night’s win over Dober, Brazilian contender, Moicano revealed his 62-year-old father welcomed the birth of a child over the weekend, before announcing plans to join a SWAT force after retiring from mixed martial arts. 

Renato Moicano calls for Beneil Dariush after UFC Vegas 85

Calling for his return to the Octagon following his hard-fought win over Dober last night, Moicano claimed he wanted to fight Iranian contender, Dariush in his return – eyeing a UFC 301 clash in his native Brazil.

“Beneil Dariush see you in Brazil…” Renato Moicano posted on his official X account. “If you support Merica… retweet this sh*t and tag @ufc modaf*kers.” 

Sidelined since he headlined UFC Fight Night Austin back in December, Dariush suffered his second consecutive stoppage loss, in the form of a first round knockout defeat to surging contender, Arman Tsarukyan in ‘The Lone Star State’. 

Over the course of his Octagon tenure, Moicano has landed wins over the likes of Jeremy Stephens, Calvin Kattar, Cub Swanson, Jai Herbert, and Alexander Hernandez to name a few. 

Who wins in a potential UFC 301 showdown: Renato Moicano or Beneil Dariush?

Beneil Dariush weighs up retirement amid UFC Austin knockout loss: ‘Do I go forward or am I done?’

Beneil Dariush weighs up retirement after UFC Austin loss am I donePerennial lightweight contender, Beneil Dariush has revealed he is currently weighing-up his fighting future in mixed martial arts, off…

Beneil Dariush weighs up retirement after UFC Austin loss am I done

Perennial lightweight contender, Beneil Dariush has revealed he is currently weighing-up his fighting future in mixed martial arts, off the back of his second consecutive opening round knockout loss, dropping a devastating defeat to Arman Tsarukyan inside the opening minute of their UFC Austin main event at the beginning of the month.

Dariush, the current number seven ranked lightweight contender, headlined the promotion’s return to Texas earlier this month against Armenian contender, Tsarukyan, suffering his second consecutive defeat in the form of a blistering knockout loss inside the opening minute of their clash.

The defeat came as Dariush’s second on the trot, having dropped a first round ground strikes TKO loss to former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira in the pair’s championship-eliminator at UFC 289 back in June of this year.

Beneil Dariush weighs up fighting future

And off the back of his crushing loss to Tsarukyan, Kings MMA staple, Dariush admitted he is weighing-up his immediate future in the sport.

“I’m just trying to figure out, like, do I go forward? Or am I done kind of deal?” Beneil Dariush told Submission Radio. “‘Cause I’m not trying to be like a 50-50 fighter or even a top-10 fighter. I’m trying to be the number one in the world. I want to be the best, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. So, yeah, I guess just that’s how I deal with it.”

“I got back to prayer and see what the Lord kind of shows me,” Beneil Dariush explained. “Last time, I had a lot of issues physically with my neck and just, I said I would solve those issues and then go back into the Octagon and see how that goes. And I did that. I had a big change in my performance. I went from being 0-3 to like 8-0. And so, the neck made a big difference. But this time I don’t have any health issues. My neck is pretty good, overall. I don’t have any issues with it. So, it’s a different spot I’m in than I was back then.”

What do you think Beneil Dariush does next post-UFC Austin? 

A Dozen UFC Austin Fighters, including Bobby Green and Beneil Dariush, hit with six-Month medical suspension

UFC AustinUFC Austin delivered some of the biggest knockouts of 2023. Unfortunately, that also means that a lot of medical…

UFC Austin

UFC Austin delivered some of the biggest knockouts of 2023. Unfortunately, that also means that a lot of medical suspensions were handed out.

Following last weekend’s return to The Lone Star State, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) slapped a dozen fighters on the night with a six-month month medical suspension. Most notably, Bobby Green, Beneil Dariush, and Arman Tsarukyan were all given 180 days unless medically cleared.

Tsarukyan walked away the winner in the UFC Austin headliner, scoring a 64-second knockout against Dariush to establish himself as the next legitimate contender in the light heavyweight division.

Bobby Green found himself on the wrong side of a first-round finish at UFC Austin, suffering a brutal beating at the hands of rising 155’er Jalin Turner.

The referee overseeing the contest, Kerry Hatley, was heavily criticized for allowing the fight to go on entirely too long. UFC CEO Dana White called it one of the worst stoppages he had ever seen. Michael Bisping, who was on call for the event, agreed.

You can see a full list of the UFC Austin medical suspensions below:

  • Arman Tsarukyan: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Beneil Dariush: Suspended a minimum of 60 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Jalin Turner: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Bobby Green: Suspended a minimum of 60 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Deiveson Figueiredo: Suspended until Dec. 17.
  • Rob Font: Suspended until Jan. 2, 2024.
  • Sean Brady: Suspended at minimum until Dec. 12, and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Kelvin Gastelum: Suspended until Dec. 12.
  • Joaquim Silva: Suspended a minimum of 60 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Clay Guida: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Dustin Stoltzfus: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Punahele Soriano: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Miesha Tate: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Julia Avila: Suspended a minimum of 45 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Cody Brundage: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Zachary Reese: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Drakkar Klose: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Joe Solecki: Suspended until Feb. 1, 2024.
  • Rodolfo Bellato: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Ihor Potieria: Suspended until Feb. 1, 2024.
  • Jared Gooden: Suspended a minimum of 45 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Wellington Turman: Suspended a minimum of 45 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Veronica Hardy: Suspended until Dec. 12.
  • Jamey-Lyn Horth: Suspended until Jan. 2, 2024.

It should be noted that fighters often return long before serving out the full length of their medical suspensions, so long as they are cleared by a licensed physician.

Which UFC Austin finish was your favorite?

List courtesy of MMA Fighting

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