The UFC’s Super Bowl Saturday event continues to build with the addition of a lightweight fight – and it’s a rematch.
Beneil Dariush (19-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) will put his hot streak on the line when he takes on Diego Ferreira (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who is on a big run of his own. MMA Junkie on Sunday confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has not yet made a formal announcement. The new first was reported by UFC broadcast partner ESPN.
The UFC’s Super Bowl weekend card takes place Feb. 6. A location and venue have not yet been announced, but the promotion’s U.S.-based events have been taking place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas during the pandemic. International events have been on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
Dariush and Ferreira first fought inn October 2014 at UFC 179. Dariush won a unanimous decision in that fight – and handed Ferreira the first loss of his pro career after a perfect 11-0 start.
Dariush is on a five-fight winning streak that includes four straight stoppage wins. In August, a first-round spinning backfist knockout of Scott Holtzman was marred by Dariush missing weight for the first time. Prior to that, he had three straight bonus-winning performances with submissions of Drew Dober and Frank Camacho and a knockout of Drakkar Klose.
Ferreira has won six straight fights, and by the time he steps into the cage with Dariush he’ll have gone nearly six years since his most recent loss. After he lost to Dariush, he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier in April 2015 for a second straight setback, and he’s been perfect since then. Included in Ferreira’s current streak are three stoppages, including a January submission of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, which arguably is the biggest win on his resume.
With the addition, the UFC’s Feb. 6 card now includes:
- Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov
- Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
- Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio
- Macy Chiasson vs. Marion Reneau
- Aliaskhab Khizriev vs. Wellington Turman
- Julio Arce vs. Timur Valiev
- Seungwoo Choi vs. Steven Peterson
- Clay Guida vs. Michael Johnson
- Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira
Beneil Dariush vs. Diego Ferreira set for UFC’s Super Bowl Saturday card
