UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush has pledged to return to pivotal 155-pound fights before long after seeing his eight-fight winning streak snapped by former champion Charles Oliveira in Vancouver on Saturday night.
The clash between the two high-ranked fighters was arguably the most anticipated bout on last weekend’s UFC 289 which was topped by an ultimately one-sided clash between Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana in what proved to be the Brazilian two-weight champion’s final-ever bout in the cage.
But it was the fight between Oliveira and Dariush which stole the show, despite it lasting less than a round, as Oliveira stunned Dariush with a high-kick late into the first round, before unloading a barrage of strikes which prompted the referee to call off the action.
The result of the fight will likely usher Oliveira into a world title bout sometime this year, or a top contender bout at the very least — but Dariush, defeated for the first time since early 2018, will likely face a more arduous journey back to the top.
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But judging by a message posted to his social media, the 34-year-old is willing to do what it takes to return to world title contention.
“I’m OK,” he posted to Instagram. “I’ll heal up and be back.” The post also featured the terms ‘God is good’ and ‘All glory to god’.
Saturday’s fight was Dariush’s first black mark on a recent record which shows wins against Tony Ferguson, Carlos Diego Ferreira and Drew Dober. He also scored a highly impressive win against Mateusz Gamrot back in 2022 in what was one of the most entertaining fights of last year.
