UFC brings top contenders Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan to Austin
The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Austin for the fifth time Saturday with UFC on ESPN 52, and the headliner features a clash of contenders in one of the most glamorous divisions in mixed martial arts.
Lightweight standouts Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan will meet in a five-round main event at Moody Center (6 p.m., ESPN), with the winner eager to move into the championship picture.
The 155-pound division has been a focal point of the UFC for much of the past decade. Popular names such as Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Charles Oliveira, and currently Islam Makhachev have held the title.
Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) and Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) are eager to join that list of iconic figures, and the result of their fight will go a long way toward moving one man closer to an opportunity to challenge for gold.
"Finally I got a big fight, and I'm so excited," Tsarukyan said. "Hopefully after this, I'm going to be in top five, and I can talk about big fights and about a title fight."
The matchup is a tale of two trajectories. Tsarukyan, 27, has shown immense talent since joining the UFC in April 2019. He's won seven of his past eight bouts and is on the rise as the No. 13 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings.
Dariush, 34, is the more established side of the pairing and holds the No. 5 ranking. On paper, he has the most downside, but he is driven by his underdog status and keen to prove he can hold off the next generation.
"If I win, I don't think my ranking will change," Dariush said. "If I lose, I'm definitely going to get dropped quite a bit. But I'm an athlete who loves to compete, and I like to compete against the best people in the world. That's what motivates me."
Tsarukyan has fought in a UFC main event once before, and it didn't go his way as he lost a narrow and somewhat controversial unanimous decision to Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022. That's been his lone defeat of the past five years.
The Armenian-Russian fighter learned from that result, he said, and plans to show his evolution in a marquee spot. His past five fights have come in the crowdless confines of the UFC's Apex facility in Las Vegas, and the two fights before that were in front of limited spectators in Abu Dhabi during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's been years since Tsarukyan has displayed his ability in front of a packed arena, but that will change this weekend.
"I always like to fight with the crowd, because it's more fun," Tsarukyan said. "It gives me more energy. I'm so excited. With a crowd, it's a different game."
Dariush echoed similar sentiments about fighting in Austin. The Iranian-born American has competed in Texas twice and said the adrenaline from the fans in a fight-hungry state will serve as a driving force to put on a special performance.
"I love Texas," Dariush said. "I have a lot of friends here. I come here often. To be able to fight in Texas is great. ... Something about Texas. I love the Southern hospitality. I love the way people treat each other. I'm looking forward to fighting in front of the fans."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UFC brings top contenders Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan to Austin
