Title fights have historically been hard to come by in the UFC`s lightweight division. Over the years, several dominant contenders, such as Tony Ferguson and Arman Tsarukyan, have found themselves without an opportunity to challenge for the undisputed title. Although both Tsarukyan and Ferguson were at one point slated for title bouts, injuries forced their withdrawal. For Beneil Dariush, formerly ranked #3 in the lightweight division, a title fight was never offered despite his impressive run of victories in this talent-packed weight class. His achievements include a near-finish of former interim champion Tony Ferguson and a decision win over UFC Rio headliner Mateusz Gamrot.
Beneil Dariush`s Doubts About Receiving a UFC Title Shot
For a period, Dariush held the second-longest active win streak in the lightweight division with eight consecutive victories, only trailing former champion Islam Makhachev. From 2019 to 2022, Dariush remained undefeated. However, in 2023, the lightweight title opportunity was twice given to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who also stepped in on short notice at UFC 294 for a rematch against Makhachev. Before his eight-fight winning streak was snapped by Charles Oliveira earlier that year, Dariush admitted he didn`t believe the UFC would grant him a title shot.
“It’s such a weird division, and it’s even weirder for me,” Dariush told Helen Yee. “You never know what’s gonna happen. At some point, I was on an eight-fight win streak, and I never felt like I was gonna get the title shot. And they didn’t, it didn’t seem like they were gonna give it to me.”
Dariush added:
“So now, one more fight. I don’t know where it puts me. But the goal is to just dominate. I have to put myself in a position where there’s no other choice [than to give me a title fight]. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna give them no other choice.”
These remarks were made by Dariush ahead of his then-upcoming fight against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322. Currently, 36-year-old Dariush boasts nine wins in his last eleven fights and is ranked #9 in the UFC lightweight division, following his unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Renato Moicano at UFC 317.
The Plight of Overlooked Contenders: Beneil Dariush and Others
Not every fighter who reaches the top 5 of their division ultimately secures a world title shot. Similar to Dariush, the recently retired Jimmie Rivera once held the #3 ranking globally with an impressive 21-1 record in 2017. The former UFC bantamweight contender never fought for a title, losing a title eliminator bout to Marlon Moraes via first-round TKO. Moraes subsequently went on to compete against Henry Cejudo for the vacant title in 2019. Cub Swanson, another top contender who never got his chance at UFC gold, is also reportedly considering retirement. Swanson was on the cusp of a title opportunity in 2017, but his four-fight win streak was halted by a then-undefeated Brian Ortega.
Neville Whittle