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Dan Hooker: Dariush Is The Best Lightweight With The Worst Marketability

Dan Hooker believes Beneil Dariush is the most technically gifted UFC lightweight, but also, the most lacking in mainstream appeal.

Widely regarded as the toughest in the UFC, the 155-pound division has long overflowed with talent. Khabib Nurmagome…

Dan Hooker believes Beneil Dariush is the most technically gifted UFC lightweight, but also, the most lacking in mainstream appeal.

Widely regarded as the toughest in the UFC, the 155-pound division has long overflowed with talent. Khabib Nurmagomedov may have retired, but with the likes of Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje still vying for the belt, the division remains a veritable meat grinder of competition.

Add to those names surging contender and Khabib protégé Islam Makhachev, ascending to the top of the lightweight heap is now, as it has been for some time, one of the toughest feats in MMA.

In defeating Hooker at UFC 267, Makhachev appears to have bridged the gap from relative obscurity to mainstream recognition—being spoken of by many as an inevitable champion. For years, the unassuming Dagestani worked his way up the ranks, and only this year has become a household name. Lacking the charisma of Khabib, Islam has no doubt benefited from the former lightweight champ’s presence in his corner, and the star power he wields.

The Blessing And Curse Of Being Beneil Dariush—According To Dan Hooker

Like Makhachev, Dariush has quietly plied his trade in the lightweight division, going on a seven-fight win streak which in May culminated in a dominant unanimous decision victory over crowd favorite Tony Ferguson.

During this unbeaten streak, Dariush has earned three Performance of the Night awards, and one for Fight of the Night. But despite that, and claiming the scalp of someone with the star power of Ferguson, it appears to have done little for Dariush’s mainstream popularity, even while catapulting him to #3 in the lightweight rankings.

Beneil Dariush Fergson — Beneil Dariush comes agonizingly close to submitting Tony Ferguson during their UFC 262 bout in May

For a man like Hooker, who has become a fan favorite and still remains a force within the division despite losing three of his last four fights, the concept of marketability is one he knows well.

Speaking to The Mac Life, the New Zealander gave his frank assessment of Dariush, saying that the American is the best UFC lightweight technically. Considering the talent-stacked division in which they both compete, it’s a flattering compliment to say the least. However, a back-handed one, given Hooker’s appraisal of Beneil’s ability, or lack thereof, to sell a fight (h/t MiddleEasy).

“Beneil is like the worst in the best way,” said Hooker. “In my personal opinion, Beneil Dariush is the best, technically, in the top five. That’s my personal opinion. Top five to champion, I feel like Beneil Dariush is the best, with like the least—because he’s the nicest guy in the world—the least marketability, and the least ability to sell a fight.”

What do you think? Do you agree with Dan Hooker’s assessment of Beneil Dariush?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker: Dariush Is The Best Lightweight With The Worst Marketability at MMA News.

Dariush Says He’s Deserving Of Title Shot Over Gaethje/Chandler Victor

UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has claimed he’s more deserving of a shot at the 155-pound title than whoever wins the Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler clash at UFC 268. Dariush’s red-hot form went largely unnoticed prior to his most recent Octagon appearance. After defeats to Edson Barboza and Alexander Hernandez, the Iranian-born fighter was largely […]

Continue Reading Dariush Says He’s Deserving Of Title Shot Over Gaethje/Chandler Victor at MMA News.

UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush has claimed he’s more deserving of a shot at the 155-pound title than whoever wins the Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler clash at UFC 268.

Dariush’s red-hot form went largely unnoticed prior to his most recent Octagon appearance. After defeats to Edson Barboza and Alexander Hernandez, the Iranian-born fighter was largely written off as a contender. Nearly three years later, the 32-year-old has built a seven-fight win streak, and secured the #3 spot in the lightweight rankings.

After getting back on track by defeating the likes of Thiago Moisés and Drew Dober, Dariush burst back onto the agenda with a memorable comeback knockout against Drakkar Klose at UFC 248. After another highlight-reel KO against Scott Holtzman, the UFC veteran had the opportunity to climb up the rankings against Carlos Diego Ferreira. Having fallen on the right side of a split decision, the California resident booked a meeting in the cage with fan favorite Tony Ferguson.

At UFC 262, Dariush completely dominated “El Cucuy” across three rounds. In a similar fashion to Charles Oliveira, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt prevented Ferguson from utilizing any of his weapons and cruised to a comfortable unanimous decision victory.

Having stepped away from action for the birth of his child, Dariush is ready to continue his quest to achieve UFC title glory. In a recent interview with The Schmo, the surging contender revealed he’s targeting a December return, and is willing to be backup for the UFC 269 main event between champion Oliveira and Dustin Poirier.

“I spoke with Sean [Shelby] and I said, ‘I just wanna fight December. Give me a little time to get used to the baby, and whoever you give me is fine.’ No name yet… I’m definitely interested in the [UFC 269] alternate position… I’m more than ready to go.”

In the other notable lightweight clash set to go down in the final months of the year, top-five contenders Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler will throw hands on the UFC 268 main card next month. Despite many suggesting the winner of that fight will be next in line for a title shot, Dariush believes his form has him ahead of both in the queue.

“Seven-fight win streak, I guess a bunch of bonuses… and I got like 20 fights in the UFC, people forget. I think I have like 16 wins in the UFC or something. So, I think that puts me a little bit ahead of everybody.

“I’ll probably get somebody to run through, and then either Charles or Dustin, which for me, makes no difference.”

The lightweight title scene will certainly becoming a lot clearer following UFC 268. In what is one of the most stacked cards of the year so far, Chandler and Gaethje’s clash will be joining two blockbuster championship rematches inside Madison Square Garden.

In the main event, UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman will look to successfully defend his title for the second time against Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas will make the first defense of her second reign as the strawweight queen. For the second time this year, she’ll meet Zhang Weili inside the Octagon.

Do you think Beneil Dariush deserves a title shot over the winner of Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje?

Continue Reading Dariush Says He’s Deserving Of Title Shot Over Gaethje/Chandler Victor at MMA News.

TGIFighting: Our Midyear MMA Awards—Best Fighter, Fight, Beatdown and More

Welcome back to TGIFighting , where we typically preview the weekend’s combat sports action and make wry observations about the relevant MMA news of the day. Ready? Let us proceed…

Dan Hooker Expresses Interest In A Fight Against Ferguson Or Dariush

Dan Hooker fancies a fight against either Tony Ferguson or Beneil Dariush. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, top ten lightweight contender Hooker believes a fight against Ferguson would make for a fan-friendly fight as the thought of fightin…

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Dan Hooker Prefers Tony Ferguson Or Beneil Dariush As Next Opponent

Dan Hooker is targeting an opponent ranked higher than him. The New Zealander is currently on a two-fight losing streak following a unanimous decision defeat to Dustin Poirier last year before suffering a first-round TKO against Michael Chandler earlier this year. It’s been a while since that setback against Chandler, but Hooker is now ready […]

Dan Hooker is targeting an opponent ranked higher than him.

The New Zealander is currently on a two-fight losing streak following a unanimous decision defeat to Dustin Poirier last year before suffering a first-round TKO against Michael Chandler earlier this year.

It’s been a while since that setback against Chandler, but Hooker is now ready to compete again and snap his current losing streak. As for who he wants?

He is open to fighting whoever the UFC offers him. But if he had to choose, he has two foes in mind in particular — Tony Ferguson and Beneil Dariush.

“I would say (Ferguson and Dariush) are two great fights for me. Those are two fights that I would really love,” Hooker said in a recent interview (via Middle Easy). “I feel like Tony is just a guy that I would love to fight. I feel like the fans would love to see that fight, I feel like everybody wants to see that fight, and I’m sure that will be one heck of a fight. It’s just funny that you’ll get less credit for beating him now, even though I feel like it’s just as tough of a fight than he was three fights ago…

“That fight, when the name gets said, that’s a fight that gets me excited. That’s a fight where you get goosebumps, and you get the adrenaline pumping. And really as a fighter, that’s what we’re in this for.”

As far as Dariush is concerned, Hooker believes he’s a skilled opponent with a high rank. However, his name value is what makes him less appealing.

Not that Hooker doesn’t want to fight him either as he labels him as the most underrated guy in the division.

“Beneil, yeah, good performance, great performance (against Ferguson),” Hooker added. “I feel like Beneil’s that ugly girl at the dance. Now Beneil, I’m not calling you ugly mate, but I don’t mean that in an offensive way. I mean that as in I feel like he’s probably the most talented guy, skill for skill.

“I feel like he’s the most skilled guy in the division, I feel like he’s one of the most well rounded guys, but he doesn’t have the name recognition that some of the other guys in the top five have. Like, if you’re looking at the top five in the division, Beneil Dariush is probably the most unknown guy, but in my opinion the most underrated guy.”

It’s highly unlikely Dariush would be open to fighting Hooker at this stage. However, Ferguson vs. Hooker? That definitely makes sense at this point.

Dana White Struggling To Find Back-Up For Poirier Vs. McGregor III

Dana White wants to ensure that the UFC 264 goes on without a hitch. There’s only one problem: White’s struggling to find the right backup fighter for the main event. White is gambling that UFC 264 will be the biggest PPV event of the year for the promotion. The first full capacity event in the […]

Dana White wants to ensure that the UFC 264 goes on without a hitch.

There’s only one problem: White’s struggling to find the right backup fighter for the main event.

White is gambling that UFC 264 will be the biggest PPV event of the year for the promotion. The first full capacity event in the promotion’s hometown, Las Vegas, the scheduled main event is one of the most anticipated rubber matches in recent MMA history. However, the past year has shown the UFC and the rest of the world anything can happen. Therefore, having a contingency plan is critical. White recognizes the need, but it has been challenging.

Speaking recently with Bleacher Report, White confirmed that finding a suitable backup has not been an easy task. (H/T MMA Junkie)

“I’m actually looking for someone right now to be the backup on that card,” White said. “Nobody’s jumping out. Nobody’s kicking down my door.”

To better understand White’s difficulty, it’s essential to understand the activity in the lightweight division thus far in 2021. Dustin Poirier (27-6 MMA, 19-5 UFC) and Conor McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) are ranked one and five in the lightweight division. Many had originally speculated that the rematch would be for the vacated belt after undefeated champion Khabib Nurmagomedov unexpectedly retired.

However, the UFC decided to allow Charles Oliviera and Michael Chandler to compete for the title instead, with Oliveira emerging victorious. Incidentally, the same card saw three of the top six lightweights in action. Both Chandler(#4) and Beneil Dariush (#3) expressed after their fights that they would like time off, hoping to return to the octagon towards the end of the year. Tony Ferguson (#6) suffered a decisive loss that left many wondering if he would retire. So with most of the top of the division tied up, only one name remains a viable option, Justin Gaethje (#2).

With a loss to Poirier and having yet to face McGregor, Gaethje seems like the logical option. However, he has expressed his disappointment with how the UFC has handled him since his loss to Nurmagomedov. Getting an offer to be a backup for the biggest fight of the year is likely not ideal for him at this time.

If both McGregor and Poirier can remain healthy and compete on July 10th, there is no issue. If not, hopefully, one of the top contenders in the division steps up to help White save the card.

Who do you think Dana White should vigorously pursue to be the backup for the UFC 264 main event?