Drakkar Klose is a name that’s been making waves in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight rankings. He’s confident that he’d be in Beneil Dariush’s spot by now, if not for a certain loss to “Benny.”
Klose, currently unranked at lightweight, has only suffered one loss in seven outings since 2017. That loss came against Dariush (22-5) via a Round 2 knockout in 2020. He represents Fight Ready, and he believes this loss hindered his rise in the lightweight rankings.
To this day, Klose admits, the loss haunts him. He’s eager to get another opportunity to face off against Dariush. “What I really want is that Beneil fight back,” Klose said during The MMA Hour. He’s haunted daily by the fact that Dariush has a win over him.
In his most recent appearance in the Octagon, Klose (13-2) made a statement. He slammed his opponent Joe Solecki on the side of the head to escape an armbar. This led to the 13th slam KO in UFC history at UFC on ESPN 52 on Dec. 2.
Meanwhile, Dariush suffered a Round 1 knockout loss to rising contender Arman Tsarukyan. This was in the main event of the same card. The Assyrian-American dropped three spots to land at No. 7 in the lightweight rankings.
Leading up to UFC Austin, Klose’s brutal KO loss was a focal point of Dariush’s highlight reel. It was repeatedly played, even on fight night. Klose believes it was slightly inconsiderate, but it served as motivation.
“I’m not gonna lie, I woke up, I used to have nightmares about that fight. I just wanna run it back,” Klose said. He was frustrated that the UFC played the clip of Beneil clipping him right before his fight. But it just gave him more fire. “I have to go out there and make a statement. I wanted to do it with my hands but he let me slam him,” he added.