Beneil Dariush, Arman Tsarukyan to Meet at UFC Austin on Dec. 2

An intriguing matchup at lightweight has been added to Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming return to the Lone Star State.

Perennial lightweight contender Beneil Dariush (22-5) will take on surging prospect Arman Tsarukyan (20-3) on Dec. 2, in Austin, Texas. The matchup was first reported by MMA Mania. Dariush is fresh off a first-round knockout loss against former champ Charles Oliveira that snapped a spectacular eight-fight win streak. Oliveira earned a title rematch with his win over Dariush while ending the hopes of a title shot that many believe should have come much earlier for “Benny.” Regardless, a gold bid shouldn’t be far off for the 34-year-old, provided he gets his hand raised against Tsarukyan.

Meanwhile, Tsarukyan made his promotional debut against reigning champ Islam Makhachev back in 2019, coming up on the short side of a “Fight of the Night” unanimous decision. “Ahalkalakets” bounced back with a five-fight win streak that included wins over the likes of Matt Frevola and Christos Giagos. That streak ended with a unanimous decision defeat against Mateusz Gamrot in a “Fight of the Night” last June. Incidentally, Gamrot’s very next fight saw him upended by Dariush via decision at UFC 280 in October.

Tsarukyan bounced back from the Gamrot defeat by handing Russian standout Damir Ismagulov his first UFC loss before securing a Round 2 technical knockout against Joaquim Silva in his last Octagon outing back in June. Currently ranked No. 8 at lightweight, Tsarukyan has been respectfully rallying for the Dariush matchup ever since his last win and seemed confident that the No. 4 ranked contender would accept it. While the American Top Team product might be a few fights away from challenging for the title, a win over Dariush would be a major step in that direction.

The UFC’s as-yet unnumbered Dec. 2, at Moody Arena in Austin. While the “UFC Austin” lineup has yet to be finalized, the presumptive headliner pits former middleweight title challenger Jared Cannonier against rising contender Roman Dolidze. The main card also features a bantamweight scrap between Rob Font and former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo.