Fourth-ranked lightweight contender Beneil Dariush (22-5-1) headlines this weekend’s UFC fight card in Austin, Texas against eighth ranked Arman Tsarukyan (20-3) and is looking for a finish.
“Tsarukyan is young. He’s hungry, and he’s improving all the time,” Dariush said about his opponent on Michael Bisping’s YouTube channel. “That’s one of the benefits of being young. You can train so much and you’re hungry, so it’s a dangerous fight for me because he’s going to take his losses and think to himself, he’s going to improve from those losses and come back stronger. One of the ways to prove that he’s better is beating a guy like me.”
Dariush will enter the fight coming off a loss to former champion Charles Oliveira while Tsarukyan will enter the octagon riding a two-fight winning streak. Dariush is looking to end Tsarukyan’s win streak and plans to finish the Georgian.
“I really want a finish. He’s never been finished before, and I really want a finish,” said Dariush. “In order to pull that off I’ve got to come at him pretty hard. I have to put the pressure on and not stop.”
Dariush believes he’s two fights away from fighting for the title and feels like his next opponent, if he gets past Tsarukyan, will determine if he gets a shot a the champion.
“It depends on who I fight after this,” said Dariush. “Lord willing, I win this fight. It’s who I fight after this. It’s one of those situations because, like you said, UFC 300 with Dustin Poirier. That pretty much guarantees the title shot I think. But, if I get somebody who’s not so well known, then it’s a little bit tricky.”
This weekend’s fight card takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas and features 13 fights with Dariush and Tsarukyan headlining the event.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/news/beneil-dariush-looking-to-finish-arman-tsarukyan-in-this-weekends-ufc-headliner
