What’s Next for Beneil Dariush After Dominant Win Over Tony Ferguson at UFC 262?

UFC lightweight Beneil Dariush secured the biggest win of his pro MMA career with the utter domination of Tony Ferguson. Dariush came in as the number 9 ranked lightweight and will leave Houston, Texas with Ferguson’s rank of five. From start to finish, Beneil Dariush put forth a dominant display, notwithstanding a single D’arce choke attempt.

From efficient takedowns to power pressure wrestling, Beneil Dariush stuck to a solid game plan that bested the aging former interim champion. ‘El Cucuy’ had very little to offer in terms of resistance and now rides a three-fight skid in the organization. In stark contrast, Dariush has now won 7 fights in a row and seems to be getting incrementally better.

Also Read: ‘I Don’t Give a Fu*k About You’- Dana White Goes on an Epic Rant Slamming Triller and Oscar De La Hoya 

Where does Beneil Dariush go from here?

As a newly minted top contender, Beneil Dariush is looking at a massive opportunity in his next UFC outing. The 32-year-old isn’t too far away from a title shot. However, there are many roads that could possibly take him there. Lightweight, being the shark tank that it is, has several fight scenarios that could yield positive results.

Ideally, Dariush should face the loser of Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor that goes down at UFC 264. However, since Dariush hasn’t built a star-studded profile yet, the UFC may likely go down another path. Instead, Beneil Dariush’s camp should aim to secure a match-up against Michael Chandler.

‘Iron’ Mike is 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off a loss in a UFC title fight. His profile is at an all-time high and he’s one of the most lucrative fights out there currently. Furthermore, Chandler knows he needs at least two more fights to return to contention status, and one of those should ideally be against Dariush.

However, another viable option out there for Dariush is Rafael dos Anjos. The former lightweight champion is ranked number 7 and more importantly has historically been a good litmus test for future title contenders. Champs like Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington all had to go through dos Anjos in order to capture the coveted strap.