Beneil Dariush - UFC Top Lightweight Fighter

1. Beneil Dariush’s Details

2. Beneil Dariush’s Biography

Beneil Dariush is a well-known UFC lightweight fighter. He was born in Iran on May 6, 1989. Dariush started his martial arts career by learning BJJ before being offered to join UFC. Currently, he is one of the top UFC lightweight fighters.

2.1. Relocated to USA

Dariush was born in Gol Tappeh, a city in the Hamadan province of Iran. Due to various difficulties that made life hard in Iran, Dariush’s family relocated to the U.S. in hopes of better opportunities. Dariush, who was nine years old when his family arrived in the U.S. was unhappy with the move. He was unhappy with having to leave his friends behind in Iran and live in another country where he did not know anyone.

2.2. Life in America

Dariush’s family relocated to America with his uncles and their children. They used to live together, with Dariush’s total number of siblings and cousins reaching 20 within a single household. His father and uncles took up farming, which Dariush helped with when he was not studying. His time working in the fields helped him build up his physical strength.

Dariush had difficulty fitting in due to him and his family not knowing how to speak much English. Being unable to speak English made it impossible to make any friends in his neighborhood, so Dariush chose to play with his cousins and siblings instead.

2.3. Interest in Martial Arts

By the time he was 18 years old, Dariush had become much better at speaking English. Finding a martial arts gym near his house, Dariush discovered his interest in martial arts. His mother was against him joining an MMA gym. Despite his mother forbidding him to join the gym, Dariush still joined anyway. Later, his sister talked to and managed to convince his mother. Dariush’s mother then started to support his desire to learn martial arts.

2.4. Starting Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training

In 2007, after Dariush graduated from high school and started his jiu-jitsu training. He wanted to avoid the “freshman 15” condition, a belief in America that students gain almost 15 lbs in weight during their first year of college. Bruno Paulista became Dariush’s first BJJ coach and trained under him until he got his brown belt.

2.5. Competing in BJJ Tournaments

With Paulista’s training, Dariush’s BJJ skills improved and his interest in jiu-jitsu increased. During his time as a blue belt, Dariush started competing in BJJ tournaments and won various trophies. He won the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship in his blue, purple, and brown belt divisions. He was also the IBJJF Pan Champion in his blue belt division.

2.6. MMA Debut

Dariush won major BJJ championships up to his time in the brown belt division and became a rising star in the world of BJJ. In November 2009, Dariush made his MMA debut. He appeared at Respect in the Cage, Samurai Pro Sports, and High Fight Rock 2 until 2013. Dariush won four out of seven MMA fights via submission and two via knockout.

2.7. UFC Debut

Dariush became famous after his time competing in BJJ tournaments. But none of these fights helped him earn a lot of money. So, he decided to compete in UFC. Dariush made his UFC debut on January 15, 2014.

2.8. Relationship with Family

Dariush was not a very social or friendly kid towards people outside of his family. He liked to play with his siblings and cousins. When he has free time, he spends it with his family and cousins. He was very attached to his mother. His mother did not approve of his decision to become an MMA fighter and stopped talking to him until she was convinced later on. Now Dariush posts pictures of him with his mother often on his social media.

2.9. Married Life

Dariush married Victoria Vu in 2020 and has two daughters named Alva and Emma Doris.

2.10. Social Works

Dariush is heavily involved in social work. Due to the various problems he faced during his childhood, Dariush works hard to be a positive influence and help people in need. He is also a big supporter of Christianity. He donated a lot of money to victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. He also offers financial support for people living in the Middle East. Dariush also sponsors the Cap-Haïtian orphanage and Christian school.

2.11. UFC Ranking

Dariush has an MMA record of 22-5-1. He is 4th ranked lightweight fighter in the UFC. Dariush defeated eight of his opponents via submission and was only submitted once.

2.12. Accomplishments in MMA

Along with his best performance in BJJ and MMA, Beneil Daruish also achieved various other awards. Listed below are the various awards and accomplishments Dariush achieved throughout his MMA career:

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

• Daruish has won the“Performance of the Night” award four times.

Award	Opponent	Year
Performance of the Night	Drakkar Klose	March 7, 2020
Performance of the Night	Frank Camacho	October 26, 2019
Performance of the Night	Drew Dober	March 9, 2019
Performance of the Night	Daron Cruickshank	March 14, 2015

• Dariush also won the “Fight of the Night” award against Carlos Diego Ferreira on February 6, 2021.
• Dariush is ranked as the 3rd longest light of winning fights in the history of the lightweight division.
• Dariush also won the “Comeback of the Year” award against Drakkar Klose in 2020.

MMA Junkie.com

Dariush also won the “Knockout of the Month” award twice in 2020.

Award	Opponent	Year
Knockout of the Month	Drakkar Klose	March 7, 2020
Knockout of the Month	Scott Holtzman	August 8, 2020

Respect in the Cage

• Became RITC Champion on January 19, 2013, after defeating Trace Gray.
• Defended his RITC title against Jason Meaders on May 4, 2013.

3. Beneil Dariush’s Main BJJ Achievements

Year	Event	Belt	Position
2008	IBJJF World No-Gi Championship	Blue Belt	1st
2009	IBJJF Pan Championship	Blue Belt	1st
2009	IBJJF World Championship	Blue Belt	2nd
2009	IBJJF World Championship	Blue Belt	3rd
2009	IBJJF World No-Gi Championship	Purple Belt	1st
2009	IBJJF World No-Gi Championship	Purple Belt	3rd
2010	IBJJF World Championship	Purple Belt	2nd
2010	IBJJF World No-Gi Championship	Brown Belt	1st
2010	IBJJF World No-Gi Championship	Brown belt	1st
2010	IBJJF Pan Championship	Brown Belt	2nd
2010	IBJJF Pan Championship	Brown Belt	2nd
2011	IBJJF Pan Championship	Brown Belt	3rd
2012	IBJJF World Championship	Brown Belt	2nd

4. Beneil Dariush’s UFC Career

Beneil started his MMA training when he was a blue belt in BJJ. He made his debut in 2009 and remained undefeated till 2013. In 2014, Dariush was scheduled to fight Jason High in his UFC debut. But High could not fight due to being sick. So, Dariush’s fight instead was with Charlie Brenneman. He won his first UFC fight in the first round via a rear naked choke.

Three months later, Dariush faced Ramsay off against Nijem in his second UFC fight but lost via KO.

Daruish’s third fight was held in August 2014 against Tony Martin. He submitted Martin in the second round.

In October 2014, Dariush faced off against Carlos Ferreira. In one of Dariush’s most historic fights, he defeated Ferreira via unanimous decision.

Dariush then faced off against Daron Cruickshank, submitted him, and won the “Performance of the Night” award. In 2015, Dariush seemingly defeated Michael Johnson via a split decision. But his victory became a source of controversy as many argued that Johnson should have been the winner due to his better performance.

In 2016, Dariush announced that he was going to take a little break from fighting to recover from an injury. After three months, he returned in April. He went against Michael Chiesa and was submitted by a neck crank. This was Dariush’s one and only loss via submission.

Two months after his loss, Daruish reappeared inside the UFC cage against James Vick and defeated him via KO in the first round. Continuing his winning streak, Daruish also won via unanimous decision against Rashid Magomedov.

At this point, Dariush had a record of 14-2. But during 2017 and early 2018, his luck turned for the worst. In March 2017, Daruish was knocked out by Edson Barboza with a flying knee. In October 2017, Daruish faced Evan Dunham in UFC 2016, with the match ending in a draw. In March 2018, Dariush was knocked out by Alexandre Hernandez with punches.

After consecutive defeats, Daruish took a break but eventually returned in November 2018. From 2018 to 2022, Daruish won eight fights in a row. He won three “Performance of the Night '' awards and one “Fight of the Night” award. In 2023, he won two fights via submission, two via KO, and four via decision.

Dariush was knocked out by Charles Oliveira in the first round. This was one of the most hyped matches of Daruish’s career.

Dariush has an aggressive fighting style that contrasts with his normally calm personality. Dariush is famous for his aggressive knockouts which left his opponents little time to defend themselves. He submits most of his opponents with rear-naked choices or armbars, showing that BJJ is a major foundation of his fighting style. Here is a glimpse of Dariush’s best finishes in UFC fights.

5. Beneil Dariush’s Famous Fights

5.1. Beneil Daruish Vs. Frank Camacho

In October 2019, Daruish faced off against Frank Camacho in the 156 lbs weight division. This was one of the most historic fights in Dariush’s UFC career. First, Dariush dominated Camacho while standing, pummeling him with punches to keep Camacho from countering. Later, Dariush took Camacho down to the ground and quickly took him from the back. He applied a rear naked choke and submitted Frank Camacho within 2 minutes and 2 seconds of the first round. Daruish was later given the “Performance of the Night” award.

5.2. Beneil Dariush Vs. Diego Ferreira

Dariush faced Ferreira in February 2021. Two of the UFC's best fighters faced off against each other. At this point, Ferrera was a UFC champion who had not lost a single UFC fight. In the first round, both fighters hit each other in a fantastic way. Dariush was in the dominant position but Diego kept resisting. In the second round, both fighters knocked each other down. Dariush was dominating while Ferreira kept defending. In the third and final round, Dariush and Ferreira started by striking before trying to take each other down. During the last minute of the fight, Dariush had Ferreira until the latter escaped within the last few seconds. In the end, Dariush won the fight via a split decision.

5.3. Beneil Dariush Vs. Drakkar Klose

On March 7, 2020, Dariush faced Drakkar Klose. Both fighters started their fight by striking at each other. Dariush took down Klose within the first minute of the first round and got onto his back. He tried to apply a rear naked choke But was forced to go back to striking after he failed. Dariush tried to apply an RNC again, but Klose strangled his arm to keep him from trying. Klose tried to escape using his legs, but could not loosen Dariush’s grip. Still, he managed to survive the first round. In the second round, both fighters struck with both hands and feet. One of Dariush's punches to the face sent Klose sprawling onto the ground and his mouthguard fell out. Dariush won this fight via KO. He won another “Performance of the Night” award because of this fight.

6. Beneil Dariush’s Professional Record Breakdown

28 matches	22 wins	5 losses
By knockout	5	4
By submission	8	1
By decision	9	0
Draws	1

7. Beneil Dariush’s Fight History

Date	Event	Opponent	W/L/D	Method	Round	Time	Record
June 10, 2023	UFC 289	Charles Oliveira	L	TKO (punches)	1	04:10	22–5–1
October 22, 2022	UFC 280	Mateusz Gamrot	W	Decision (unanimous)	3	05:00	22–4–1
May 15, 2021	UFC 262	Tony Ferguson	W	Decision (unanimous)	3	05:00	21–4–1
February 6, 2021	UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov	Carlos Diego Ferreira	W	Decision (split)	3	05:00	20–4–1
August 8, 2020	UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik	Scott Holtzman	W	KO (spinning back fist)	1	04:38	19–4–1
March 7, 2020	UFC 248	Drakkar Klose	W	KO (punch)	2	01:00	18–4–1
October 26, 2019	UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren	Frank Camacho	W	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	02:02	17–4–1
March 9, 2019	UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos	Drew Dober	W	Submission (triangle armbar)	2	04:41	16–4–1
November 10, 2018	UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez	Thiago Moisés	W	Decision (unanimous)	3	05:00	15–4–1
March 3, 2018	UFC 222	Alexander Hernandez	L	KO (punch)	1	00:42	14–4–1
October 7, 2017	UFC 216	Evan Dunham	D	Draw (majority)	3	05:00	14–3–1
March 11, 2017	UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum	Edson Barboza	L	KO (flying knee)	2	03:35	14–3
November 5, 2016	The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 3 Finale: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson	Rashid Magomedov	W	Decision (unanimous)	3	05:00	14–2
June 4, 2016	UFC 199	James Vick	W	KO (punches)	1	04:16	13–2
April 16, 2016	UFC on Fox: Teixeira vs. Evans	Michael Chiesa	L	Submission (neck crank)	2	01:20	12–2
August 8, 2015	UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux	Michael Johnson	W	Decision (split)	3	05:00	12–1
April 18, 2015	UFC on Fox: Machida vs. Rockhold	Jim Miller	W	Decision (unanimous)	3	05:00	11–1
March 14, 2015	UFC 185	Daron Cruickshank	W	Submission (rear-naked choke)	2	02:48	10–1
October 25, 2014	UFC 179	Carlos Diego Ferreira	W	Decision (unanimous)	3	05:00	9–1
August 23, 2014	UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. dos Anjos	Anthony Rocco Martin	W	Submission (arm-triangle choke)	2	03:38	8–1
April 11, 2014	UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson	Ramsey Nijem	L	TKO (punches)	1	04:20	7–1
January 14, 2014	UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou	Charlie Brenneman	W	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	01:45	7–0
May 4, 2013	Respect in the Cage	Jason Meaders	W	KO (punch)	2	04:03	6–0
January 19, 2013	Respect in the Cage	Trace Gray	W	Submission (armbar)	1	00:36	5–0
October 27, 2012	High Fight Rock 2	Gilberto dos Santos	W	TKO (doctor stoppage)	1	04:03	4–0
October 21, 2011	Samurai Pro Sports	Dominic Gutierrez	W	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	01:16	3–0
October 9, 2010	Respect in the Cage	Vance Bejarano	W	Submission (rear-naked choke)	1	N/A	2–0
November 20, 2009	Respect in the Cage 2	Jordan Betts	W	Decision (split)	3	05:00	1–0

8. Top Fights Links

Photo Credit: @beneildariush