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Beneil Dariush was on the cusp of title contention prior to his fight with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. The two men squared off at UFC 289 in a bout that saw 'do Bronx' bring an emphatic end to Dariush's 8-fight win streak by TKO'ing the Iranian-American.
Now, months later, reports have emerged pointing to a matchup between Beneil Dariush and lightweight prospect Arman Tsarukyan. The report made the rounds on X/Twitter, with Dec. 2 being marked as the official date for the bout. This lines it up with UFC Fight Night 233.
Given the elevated profiles of both Dariush and Tsarukyan, both men are likely to headline the event. While the bout represents Beneil Dariush's chance to rebound from the most crushing loss of his career, it also marks Arman Tsarukyan's chance to score his first-ever win over a top-ranked lightweight.
Despite his past matchups with Mateusz Gamrot, who recently served as a backup fighter for the UFC 294 main event, as well as a past clash with Islam Makhachev, Arman Tsarukyan came up short each time. So fans on X/Twitter reacted to reports of a potential bout between him and Dariush with varying takes.
One fan predicted a win for Tsarukyan:
"Tsarukyan by murder"
However, another fan expressed confidence in Dariush's chances:
"Benny gonna takie his soul, screen that"
These sentiments were not echoed by everyone though:
"Arman is gonna finally retire that grandpa"
Another call for Tsarukyan potentially retiring Dariush was made:
"Arman retires him btw"
A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:
Beneil Dariush's win streak
Prior to his defeat at the hands of Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush was on an 8-fight win streak. Unfortunately, one of the most common criticisms that Dariush received during his stretch of wins was that he hadn't beaten any top-ranked fighters. He did, however, score a win over one notable name.
Two years ago, the Iranian-American defeated former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision. By then, however, 'El Cucuy' was well into his decline, and the loss marked his third consecutive defeat in what has become a six-fight losing streak.
