Midnight Mania! Dariush Vs. Tsarukyan Added To UFC Austin

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to Austin, Texas before 2023 is over and the card on tap is looking like a good one.

In the Lightweight division, a pivotal contender bout has been added to UFC Austin as top-ranked competitors, Beneil Dariush (22-5-1), and Arman Tsarukyan (20-3), are set to square off on the Dec. 2, 2023 date, according to Tsarukyan on UFC Unfiltered. While the bout is worthy of main event status, it is unknown just yet if it will occupy the headliner slot or not. The pairing was originally being targeted for UFC 296 in Las Vegas on Dec. 16, 2023.

The match up will be Dariush’s first since suffering a tough first round technical knockout loss to former champion, Charles Oliveira, at UFC 289 in June 2023 (watch highlights). Oliveira snapped Dariush’s impressive eight-fight winning streak, ultimately costing him his first shot at UFC gold. Unfortunately, Oliveira didn’t even get to challenge for the strap himself as he was originally scheduled to challenge the champion, Islam Makhachev, at UFC 294 this weekend (Sat., Oct. 21, 2023). “Do Bronx” suffered in training last week, resulting in his withdrawal.

On the other hand, Tsarukyan, 27, is finally getting the big-name fight he’s been asking for. Riding high on a two-fight winning streak, a win over a veteran and perennial contender like Dariush would position Tsarukyan nicely amongst the top crop of 155-pound contenders.

The current UFC Austin line up can be seen below.

• 155lbs.: Arman Tsarukyan vs Beneil Dariush
• 125lbs.: Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Veronica Hardy
• 135lbs.: Miesha Tate vs. Julia Avila
• 185lbs.: Punahele Soriano vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
• 135lbs.: Rob Font vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
• 205lbs.: Khalil Rountree Jr. vs. Azamat Murzakanov
• 185lbs.: Jared Cannonier vs. Roman Dolidze
• 170lbs.: Sean Brady vs. Kelvin Gastelum
• 155lbs.: Clay Guida vs. Joaquim Silva
• 155lbs.: Joe Solecki vs. Drakkar Klose
• 170lbs.: Wellington Turman vs. Jared Gooden
• 145lbs.: Steve Garcia vs. Melquizael Costa

Insomnia

Islam Makhachev’s weight cuts are no joke. You can tell he’s envious that Kamaru Usman doesn’t have to chug gallons of water!

Kelvin Gastelum is starting to look a bit thinner. I think his odds are good at making Welterweight again, but the question is if he can do it consistently?

The latest Polyana Viana cosplay:

Staying relaxed is definitely a massive key to Sean Strickland’s success.

A slick and explosive double-leg setup:

Lightweight banger alert!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

I definitely thought this was fake — and maybe it is, the internet should always be treated with suspicion — but those knockout sounds were uncomfortably convincing.

Lot of wild and erratic movement from AlQaisi before the right hand sits him down:

Pat Miletich really dog-walked Mike Jackson at 55 years of age while very much looking like a drunk uncle fighting at a wedding. Loss or not, that’s astonishing.

Random Land

DROP SEONAGI!

Midnight Music: Indie, 2009

Sleep well, Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.