UFC Announce Massive Lightweight Rematch After 6 Years

Diego Ferreira and Beneil Dariush will face each other in the octagon yet again. Ferreira will get a chance to avenge the first loss of his MMA career against Dariush.

While no announcement has been made, the fight seems to be booked according to ESPN. The two lightweights look likely to be part of the UFC’s next visit to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

The fight is slated to feature on UFC’s Fight Night card over the Super Bowl weekend, February 6th. The card is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov.

Initially reported by Brett Okamoto, “Per sources, Diego Ferreira and Beneil Dariush have agreed to a fight on Feb. 6. Ferreira is No. 9 in UFC’s lightweight rankings, Dariush is No. 12. The -fight win streak vs. five-fight win streak, and a rematch of a bout from 2014.”

The two lightweights initially faced off at UFC 179, with Dariush getting a unanimous decision win in October 2014. Dariush and Ferreira recently had bouts fall through as they were originally scheduled to face Charles Oliveira and Drew Dober, respectively.

Diego Ferreira vs Beneil Dariush 2

Dariush has been extremely impressive as of late, winning his last 5 appearances, 4 of them being finishes. In his most recent outing, Dariush knocked out Scott Holtzman with a spinning back fist, earning him a post-fight bonus.

Ferreira, meanwhile, is on a 6-fight win streak. Most recently, he earned the biggest win of his career as he tapped out former champion Anthony Pettis at UFC 246.

Both fighters were signed by the UFC in 2014 and have shown tremendous promise since. Ferreira is 8-2 in his UFC career and holds wins over the likes of Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Jared Gordon, and Rustam Khabilov along with the Pettis win.

Dariush has been far more active in his UFC career, having a record of 13-4-1 under the promotion. He has faced the likes of Edson Barboza, James Vic, Michael Johnson, and Michael Chiesa.

Dariush has one draw on his UFC record against Evan Dunham, whom he faced on the UFC 216 card headlined by Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee.

Now, with both fighters in their prime, they will face off in the octagon once again. Ferreira will look to avenge his first-ever loss in his career. Dariush will look to continue his win streak and get closer to the top of the UFC lightweight rankings.

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