"Anybody with a heartbeat has a path to victory."
Following a short break for Thanksgiving weekend, fight fans can look forward to a uniquely stacked fight night card on December 2nd in Austin, Texas. With popular names littered across the card, the event will be headlined by a 5 round lightweight clash between Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan.
It was only a matter of time before the two lightweight contenders met in the cage. Stylistically, the matchup of two well-rounded grapplers has the potential to be incredibly competitive.
With Dariush coming off a brutal loss to Charles Oliveira in a title eliminator bout, it is only natural that he defend his No. 4 ranking against rising Armenian talent Arman Tsarukyan.
Tsarukyan has taken only 2 losses during his 9 fight tenure in the UFC, one of which was a short notice debut against the current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Another was a closely contested bout against Mateusz Gamrot that displayed the elite skills of both men.
After the loss to Gamrot in June of 2022, Tsarukyan made a dominant comeback against Damir Ismagulov, completely eliminating any offensive threat that the Russian striker posed.
He was then scheduled to headline a fight night event in the UFC Apex against Brazilian submission specialist Renato Moicano, until Moicano dropped out due to injury.
UFC veteran Joaquim Silva agreed to take on Tsarukyan in June of 2023.
With Tsarukyan being matched against another unranked opponent at this stage of his career, it became clear that the UFC was having difficulty finding willing opponents for him. Not only are the stars of the lightweight division notorious for their lack of willingness to take on rising contenders, but Tsarukyan himself was widely considered to be a dangerous challenge.
He refused to wait for a highly ranked opponent. He wanted to remain active and continue showcasing his bullish abilities in the cage, prompting his bout against Silva.
In the second round of their bout, Silva surprised Tsarukyan with a firm hook that wobbled him, forcing a takedown attempt out of the Armenian. It was unexpected adversity, but he did not shy away from the danger.
He opened the third round hungry for a finish, dragging Silva to the floor before raining down hellacious ground and pound that ended the fight. Despite the difficulty early on, a statement had been made. Tsarukyan was ready for his shot at the Top 5.
Considering the recency of Dariush’s knockout loss in June, it is unclear how he will show up in the cage. He picked up 8 sequential wins prior to the loss, demonstrating his aptitude in all areas of the sport. His hard work outside of the octagon has consistently translated to the cage, earning dominant victories or emphatic finishes, but his durability has always been an issue.
The Iranian-American has been brutally knocked out 4 times during his UFC career. While Tsarukyan is not known for his powerful strikes, it is worth mentioning the fatal flaw that has plagued Dariush time and time again.
Then again, if his resiliency after receiving such losses is indicative of anything, fans may be witnessing a rejuvenated Dariush with passion like never before. But if Tsarukyan can live up to the praise he has received so far, it will be a long night for any man standing across the cage from him.