Beneil Dariush wants quick turnaround after another bonus – but after his honeymoon

LAS VEGAS – Beneil Dariush beat Drakkar Klose with a second-round knockout Saturday on the main card at UFC 248 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Dariush, who picked up his fourth straight win and third straight finish. It also was his first knockout win since June 2016.

Result: Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:00
Updated records: Dariush (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC), Klose (11-2-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
Key stat: Klose suffered the first stoppage loss of his career.

Dariush on the fight’s key moment

“It feels great to get the win. I thought it was going to be a submission, but I’ll take that, too. I had his back forever, so in the second round my legs were a little wobbly and I knew I had to use my arms more. … I honestly didn’t know that last shot connected so well, but once I saw him go down I knew it was over.”

Dariush on being willing to trade

“I think I have to work on getting my chokes in with the gloves. It’s too easy to grab my fingers and defend, so I have to figure that out. I knew I was tired in the second round, but I was confident in my cardio and recovery, so I just kept moving forward. He hit me pretty hard, but I wasn’t hurt. I just have this problem where if you hit me, then I’m fine with trading and seeing what happens. (It’s) probably not the best habit, but I’ll work on that.”

Dariush on what he wants next

“(I have) a lot of emotions going on. … I promised my wife I’d take her on a honeymoon since we just got married and I went right into a full training camp. But I can stay in shape in that time. If I’m not injured, ideally a quicker return – not six months. Six months is too long. … If you get out of the war zone too long, it’s really hard to get back in.”

To hear more from Dariush, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.