Beneil Dariush breaks down why he got caught by surprise against Arman Tsarukyan

Beneil Dariush has opened up about his defeat against Arman Tsarukyan, giving his take on why Tsarukyan was able to catch him by surprise and knock him out.

Heading into 2023, Dariush was on an eight-fight win streak and close to securing a UFC lightweight title shot. However, he ended up losing both the MMA bouts he's competed in this year. His eight-fight win streak ended at UFC 289 in June 2023 when he lost to former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira via first-round TKO.

Following that, Beneil Dariush, in his most recent bout, fought Arman Tsarukyan in the headlining matchup of a UFC Fight Night card earlier this month (December 2, 2023). Their fight witnessed Tsarukyan catch him with a knee to the head and follow-up strikes to secure a first-round KO victory.

In his latest interview with Submission Radio, Beneil Dariush addressed multiple topics, including his defeat to Arman Tsarukyan. Interviewer Kacper Rosolowski suggested that the fight's finishing sequence was lightning-fast. He appeared to indicate that Tsarukyan's well-concealed knee and strikes could've finished any opponent.

When asked if he (Dariush) met Tsarukyan after their fight, the Iran-born American fighter revealed that they didn't. Revealing what caught him off guard in the first round, Dariush said:

"Interesting thing is I studied his tapes. I never really saw him throwing knees. So, that definitely threw me for a surprise, I guess, you would say. Because watching his fights, he threw a lot of kicks, and he would throw elbows from the clinch. But I never really saw him throw knees that way, like in a Thai-style clinch. So, credit to him; definitely changed up his style, and it worked."

Check out Beneil Dariush's comments below (13:38):

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What's next for UFC lightweight mainstay Beneil Dariush after his loss to Arman Tsarukyan?

The Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan showdown was regarded as a pivotal one in the UFC's 155-pound division. In the aftermath of his knockout loss, Dariush subsequently fell to the No.7 spot in the official UFC lightweight rankings. Meanwhile, Tsarukyan has risen and now holds the No. 4 position.

During his appearance on Submission Radio, Dariush opined that he'd like to continue challenging himself against top-tier opposition. At the 04:40-minute mark of the interview, the 34-year-old implied that he isn't "trying to be a 50-50 fighter or even a top-10 fighter" but rather to be the absolute best.

Moreover, at the 22:00-minute mark, he asserted that he'd like to fight in February or March. Nevertheless, he's suffered back-to-back knockout defeats, and his coaches have advised him to take some time away from competition. On that note, the grappling savant opined that his return might be pushed beyond February/March 2024.