The Ultimate Fighting Championship is back in action on Saturday in Austin, Texas. The post-Thanksgiving card is surprisingly strong, with four fights that could easily headline a different show.
The main event of UFC on ESPN 52 is a highly interesting bout in the deep lightweight division. Arman Tsarukyan is looking for a signature victory against Beneil Dariush. The winner could be one step away from a title shot.
The co-feature is another 155-pound showcase. Jalin Turner is taking on Bobby Green in a clash of prospect versus veteran. This fight is quite important for both parties.
There’s also intrigue with two fighters changing weight classes. Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is stepping into the fray at 135 pounds against Rob Font. Meanwhile, Kelvin Gastelum is making his long-teased return to welterweight, where he’ll battle top prospect Sean Brady.
Now, let’s preview UFC on ESPN 52 “Dariush vs. Tsarukyan”.
In the lightweight category, we have Beneil Dariush (22-5-1, 16-5-1 UFC) versus Arman Tsarukyan (20-3, 7-2 UFC). The odds are Tsarukyan (-278), Dariush (+225).
This is a crucial spot for Dariush. He joined the UFC in 2014 as a potential future title contender. Despite a few missteps, he’s mostly lived up to the hype. His consistent pressure game has caused trouble both on the feet and the ground.
However, Dariush had a rough patch in late 2017 and early 2018. A 42-second knockout loss to newcomer Alexander Hernandez seemed to close the window for his title hopes. Despite being a well-rounded fighter, his tendency to get caught and finished made it hard to believe he could gain enough momentum to contend for the title.
Dariush leaned on his wrestling and grappling for a few rebound wins. His 2020 fight with Drakkar Klose saw him embrace the madness and unlock a new level of success. When he found himself on the ropes, Dariush marched forward, hunting for a finish, and refused to be stopped, ending the fight with a brutal knockout.
He had a similar win over Scott Holtzman, and from there, he became an absolute terror. His next few fights were notable for how much he shut down his opponents’ wrestling. This skill set, now paired with technical and violent striking, made Dariush a formidable opponent.
However, former champion Charles Oliveira stopped his eight-fight winning streak in June. Despite the loss, Dariush’s combination of credibility and potential violence keeps him on the edges of the title picture. To stay here, Dariush needs to hold serve against rising top talent Tsarukyan in his first UFC main event.
In contrast to Dariush’s journey towards title contention, Tsarukyan’s UFC career has been fairly straightforward. The Armenian showed up in 2019 as an obvious top talent and has spent every moment living up to the hype since.
The UFC seemingly knew what it had in Tsarukyan from the start. His debut came against current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. After giving Makhachev a surprisingly tough fight, Tsarukyan went back to racking up wins. He turned into a potent finisher on the mat, thanks to some brutal ground-and-pound.
Tsarukyan’s fight against Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022 is the most interesting fight on his UFC record. It is the clearest example of how his game has evolved. Faced with an opponent who could match him in outstanding wrestling exchanges, Tsarukyan pivoted to a range striking game where he outclassed as the much cleaner striker.
Despite Tsarukyan landing the more effective offense, the judges decided to reward Gamrot’s pressure and control for some surprising scorecards. However, things have worked out for Tsarukyan since. After two one-sided wins, he finds himself back in a main event spot trying to succeed where Gamrot could not in defeating Dariush.
Each man’s fight against Gamrot could wind up being instructive. Faced with Gamrot’s pace wrestling game, Tsarukyan might have pivoted to different ideas, while Dariush showed off the chops to win that fight head-on.
In general, outwrestling Dariush has never been a path to much success. So, if he is able to stuff a few takedowns early, it will be interesting to see how Tsarukyan reacts. Tsarukyan pivoted to striking against Gamrot, but that is also the lone fight where he has shown any suggestion of cardio issues, which could be of particular interest in a five-round fight.
Dariush’s cardio is a major question mark—if only because he has never gone five rounds—but he has shown no signs of slowing down after three rounds in wrestling-heavy affairs. Therefore, he should be able to neutralize a lot of Tsarukyan’s takedowns and dictate the striking of this fight for as long as needed.
From there, it is not necessarily a guarantee that Dariush can get a win over the finish line. Even with his form over the last few years, his durability is always going to be a worry. However, it seems likelier than not. Tsarukyan does not seem likely to lure Dariush into the type of wild brawl that can leave him defensively open, and Dariush seems more capable of maintaining his pace and winning at least three rounds.
It is a fascinating fight. The pick is Dariush via decision.
Jump To » Dariush vs. Tsarukyan, Turner vs. Green, Font vs. Figueiredo, Brady vs. Gastelum, Soriano vs. Stoltzfus, Silva vs. Guida, The Prelims.