When only five names on the UFC 322 card remained for their weigh-ins, Beneil Dariush walked onto the stage with complete confidence. However, when he stepped onto the scales, that confidence faltered. According to the official non-title fight weight limit, a lightweight fighter should weigh 155 lbs-156 lbs. The veteran in the promotion for over a decade, though, missed the mark for only the second time. Consequently, he chose to take the penalty.

“Per UFC, Dariush forfeits 20% percent of his purse to his opponent. Fight proceeds as scheduled,” Jed I. Goodman shared the update.

According to the weigh-in weights of MMA, “A fighter who misses the scale by a large margin can still compete. But they have to give 20% of their income from that fight to their opponent.”

Hence, instead of cancelling the fight with a disqualification, he opted to give part of his income to his opponent, Benoit Saint-Denis, who weighed in at 155.6 pounds.

Unlike a few fighters who received a second shot at measuring their weight, Dariush wasn’t given a second chance, something that even the event’s commentators were concerned about. However, it is also not the first time that the lightweight veteran has missed the mark.

Dariush has competed 24 times previously at 155 pounds. The only time he has missed making the weight was back in August 2020, opposite Scott Holtzmann, for a 145 lbs fight. A submission loss in the bout made him move to the 155 lbs division.

With him accepting the penalty, Madison Square Garden’s annual UFC bout will continue, but will be recorded as a catchweight fight. 

In MMA, a catchweight fight is an agreed, non-standard weight limit that’s not in the existing weight classes of that sport. As is visible in this instance, it can be used to accommodate a size mismatch between fighters. A catchweight can be agreed upon when a bout is originally scheduled or made on short notice.

While Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis will still happen at UFC 322, the stakes have certainly taken a hit for the 36-year-old Assyrian native.

After a subpar 2023 and dropping two in a row, ‘Benny’ bounced back strong with a solid win over Renato Moicano at UFC 317, and many expected that a victory over ‘BSD’ would push him toward a top-five opponent next.

But missing weight will not help him gain momentum in the crowded Lightweight ranks. Such a miss can significantly impact a fighter’s reputation and future matchmaking opportunities. So, Dariush might actually miss out on someone like Paddy Pimblett in his next fight, even if he wins at MSG.

All things considered, though, a fine slapped on his purse is an easy punishment, considering how the UFC has cut fighters for similar transgressions.

One of the biggest misses in weigh-ins remembered to date is for the co-main event for UFC 142. Then, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson came in 12 lbs over the middleweight limit for his fight with Vitor Belfort at 197 lbs.

“As a fighter, you are a professional,” UFC CEO Dana White had said back then. “You are contracted to come in at a certain weight.”

This time around, though, neither White nor Dariush nor his opponent has said anything so far.

With Beneil Dariush being the only fighter to miss weight at the UFC 322 Weigh-ins, let’s look at the other star fighters who successfully made the scale and will now perform at Madison Square Garden.

UFC 322 star fighters who successfully hit the scale

Although every fight at UFC 322 has its own importance, no bout carried bigger stakes than the main and co-main events. And for a moment, both came with a little scare. At first, Islam Makhachev quickly hopped on the scale and hit 170 pounds to confirm he was ready. However, it took hours before Jack Della Maddalena finally stepped up.

The reigning welterweight champion came in under the championship limit at 169.8 pounds, but he needed the box to make weight, which caused a brief weight miss scare among the fans. But, aside from that moment of elevated heartbeat, the rest of the weigh-ins for the main card went pretty smoothly.

• Valentina Shevchenko (124.6) vs. Zhang Weili (124.6)
• Sean Brady (169.4) vs. Michael Morales (170.6)
• Former 170-pound kingpin, Leon Edwards (170) vs. Carlos Prates (169.6)

Moving to the main-card lead-in, Bo Nickal and Rodolfo Vieira, whose featured prelim bout has gained massive attention, created zero controversy. The Penn State standout hit 185.8 pounds, touching the middleweight limit, and the Brazilian followed cleanly at 186.

With every fight remaining intact (even Malcolm Wellmaker’s last-minute replacement opponent), UFC 322 officially stays the card of the year without any major cancellations.