Latest news with #BeneilDariush
USA Today
29-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Beneil Dariush exits UFC 317 with victory but mixed emotions: 'I'm frustrated'
LAS VEGAS – Beneil Dariush was still processing his UFC 317 win over Renato Moicano as he spoke to reporters backstage at T-Mobile Arena. Admittedly, he struggled to put into words the mix of emotions he felt after his unanimous decision victory. "I'm feeling fine," Dariush told MMA Junkie and other reporters. "I'm frustrated. I've already said I'm frustrated, so I'll try to stop saying it. I feel fine. I just keep replaying that first round in my head and it just makes me more angry." The fight was Dariush's first since December 2023. It had been 18 months between fights. Dariush (23-6-1 MMA, 17-6-1 UFC) avoided an early scare from Moicano (20-7-1 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and rallied to win Round 2 and 3. Despite getting the nod from all three judges, Dariush couldn't shake the memory of nearly being put away in the opening five minutes. "It's good to have that dog in you, like they say," Dariush said. "... I just felt like in the first round I was landing leg kicks. I was landing high kicks. My hands were somewhat landing, and then I get dropped, so it's frustrating. Then in Round 2, to be honest, the game plan was to shoot. I was supposed to take him down in the first round. It's frustrating because you don't follow the game plan that you set. You lose the round because of it. Then, you go to Round 2 and you're just so mad you're not thinking about game plans any more. You're just thinking about finding ways to win. The more I played it over in my head, it's better if I internalize it than I try externalize it, because it just doesn't sound good when I speak." Dariush said regardless of the outcomes of his fights, he tries to compartmentalize the results and put them in perspective in the bigger scheme of his life and faith. But fighting does motivate him greatly. At 36, he's still gunning for championship gold. Saturday's win snapped a two fight skid, and steered his momentum around. "I know I'm old, but man this felt like my first fight. I felt like there's so much to learn," Dariush said. "It felt good to be the last old man standing. But I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. ... You could be doing this forever. But if your heart is not in it and you're not focused and you don't have a desire to be a champion, leave. I have a desire to be champion. I would not be here just to fight just for another fight. If it was just for money, I wouldn't be here. It's to be champion. God put a desire in me, and that's what I want."
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 317 predictions: Topuria or Oliveira, Pantoja or Kara-France in Vegas title fights?
The UFC hosts another International Fight Week in 'Sin City' with a multi-title pay-per-view. UFC 317 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below. Felipe Lima vs. Payton Talbott Records: Lima (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Talbott (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) Past five: Lima 5-0, Talbott 4-1 Division: Bantamweight Rankings: None Odds (as of 06.28.25): Lima -180, Talbott +150 Junkie pick results: Talbott 7 , Lima 4 Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano Records: Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC), Moicano (20-6-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) Past five: Dariush 3-2, Moicano 4-1 Division: Lightweight Rankings: Dariush 8, Moicano 12 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Dariush +135, Moicano -160 Junkie pick results: Moicano 7, Dariush 4 Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van Records: Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC), Van (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) Past five: Royval 4-1, Van 4-1 Division: Flyweight Rankings: Royval No. 3, Van No. 15 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Royval -125, Van +105 Junkie pick results: Royval 7, Van 4 Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France Records: Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC), Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) Past five: Pantoja 5-0, Kara-France 3-2 Division: Flyweight Rankings: Pantoja No. 1, No. 3 pound-for-pound; Kara-France No. 8 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Pantoja -265, Kara-France +215 Junkie pick results: Pantoja 9, Kara-France 2 Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira Records: Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) Past five: Topuria 5-0, Oliveira 3-2 Division: Lightweight Rankings: Topuria No. 1 featherweight, No. 5 pound-for-pound; Oliveira No. 3 Odds (as of 06.28.25): Topuria -425, Oliveira +330 Junkie pick results: Topuria 10, Oliveira 1 Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Individual staff member picks, main card Readers 85-53: Topuria (63%), (Pantoja 82%), (Van 52%), Moicano (60%), Lima (56%) Advertisement Nolan King 88-50: Topuria, Pantoja, Van, Moicano, Lima Farah Hannoun 88-50: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Talbott Mike Bohn 87-51: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Lima Ken Hathaway 86-52: Topuria, Pantoja, Van, Moicano, Talbott Abbey Subhan 86-52: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Moicano, Talbott Simon Samano 83-55: Topuria, Kara-France, Van, Moicano, Lima Matt Erickson 82-56: Topuria, Kara-France, Van, Moicano, Talbott Brian Garcia 81-57: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Talbott Danny Segura 81-57: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Moicano, Talbott Matthew Wells 76-62: Topuria, Pantoja, Royval, Moicano, Talbott George Garcia 75-63: Oliveira, Pantoja, Royval, Dariush, Lima Preliminary card picks Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez faceoff, UFC 317 ceremonial weigh-ins Although they don't count toward the standings, MMA Junkie staff members still pick the fights on the prelims. Here are the results: Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues: Hermansson 10, Rodrigues 1 Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado: Amil 11, Delgado Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez: Cortez 9, Araujo 2 Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Terrance McKinney: McKinny 7, Borschev 4 Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith: Smith 9, Price 2 Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines: Diniz 10, Hines 1 This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317 predictions: Topuria vs. Oliveira, Pantoja vs. Kara-France
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 317 results: Beneil Dariush bounces back from early scare to defeat Renato Moicano
Beneil Dariush overcame an early scare to get back into the win column after a lengthy absence. On the main card of UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Dariush (23-6-1 MMA, 17-6-1 UFC) returned to the cage for the first time since December 2023 to face Renato Moicano. Although Moicano (20-7-1 MMA, 12-7 UFC) succeeded in the opening round, the judges' scorecards were unanimous (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in favor of Dariush after 15 minutes of action. Advertisement Dariush set the tone, keeping Moicano at a distance while causing damage with several hard low kicks. Moicano remained patient while applying forward pressure and hunting for openings. Late in Round 1, Moicano connected with a beautiful straight right hand that dropped Dariush. Moicano swarmed for the finish, but Dariush recovered well enough to survive the round. Early in Round 2, Dariush clipped Moicano with a clean punch, prompting a wrestling scramble. Dariush ended up controlling the positions along the fence, resulting in a takedown. While racking up top control time, Dariush worked for a submission and ended the frame with ground and pound. With the fight seemingly up for grabs, Dariush came out quickly looking to get the fight back to the ground. Moicano was able to reverse and scramble back to his feet, but Dariush continued to have success striking. Keeping Moicano busy, Dariush continued to threaten takedowns to stay in control until the final horn. Advertisement With the win, Dariush returns to the win column following back-to-back losses to former champ Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan in 2023. Moicano now finds himself on a two-fight skid, as he entered an a super short notice title opportunity against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January. Up-to-the-minute UFC 317 results This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317 results: Beneil Dariush rallies to defeat Renato Moicano
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 317 preview roundtable: As Ilia Topuria kicks off a new era as a lightweight — how does this all play out?
International Fight Week is closing out with a bang with UFC 317, and the card is one of the better offerings we've seen this year. We have two title fights, a 23-year-old phenom in the swing bout fighting for the second time in a month, the return of Renato Moicano for a clash with Beneil Dariush, and, of course, Payton Talbott coming back off his loss. Plenty of intrigue to go around, and so we asked the five burning questions heading into the summer's big pay-per-view. Some say Ilia Topuria looks like he's fresh off a GQ shoot every time he appears in public. (Photo by Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images) (Borja B. Hojas via Getty Images) 1. Now that the dust has settled, how will Ilia Topuria look as a lightweight? Is this weight class better suited to him than 145? Petesy: What kind of an idiot would I be to say that 155 pounds suits him better at this point, Chuck? We saw him fight there once against Jai Herbert, and let's not forget the 'Black County Banger' made him briefly eat the canvas in that London showdown before Herbert was ultimately KO'd in the second round. Advertisement What I'm trying to say is, he KO'd Max Holloway and Alex Volkanovski at featherweight, how the hell could he improve on that at 155? I will say that I'm far more excited for this fight than I thought I would be. It took me a while to get over the initial letdown of Islam moving up, but I'm absolutely buzzing now. This guy is making me so excited about the sport again and pitted against 'Do Bronx' this Saturday night, there's no way this fight doesn't deliver. I suppose if he had KO'd Islam in his lightweight debut I could've made that argument, but as we know my friend, we cannot have nice things anymore. Chuck: Can't have nice things at all. Just to illustrate that — and not sure I ever made it public — but there were a couple of Jon Jones fights I really wanted back in the day. A fight against Francis Ngannou and another one against Tom Aspinall, and neither of them, as they say in the bible, came to pass. But you ask what kind of an idiot? I'll tell you what kind of idiot. This kind of idiot, Petesy! I keep forgetting about that Herbert fight that happened just three short years ago at lightweight. Sheesh. But you're right, much easier to see Topuria looking human at 155 pounds than at featherweight. I will say that he has stated again and again that the weight cut was the main reason for the skedaddle, and I know he walks around at more than 180 pounds. He might have a little adjustment period, but my guess is he can shine just as bright at lightweight, and if he doesn't have to kill himself to make the weight? Advertisement Well, then it's a great move. 2. What's better for the UFC: Charles Oliveira as the next lightweight champion or Ilia Topuria? Chuck: Listen, Charles has a cult following. People who keep but a wandering eye on MMA know who 'Do Bronx' is. He is the king of Sao Paulo. He likes horses, which therefore attracts a certain kind of equestrian type. They are putting him in the HOF this week as part of Forrest Griffin's charitable arm. He has more UFC records that Ilia does fights at lightweight. I'll go ahead and say it: Charles Oliveira is a damn hero. So don't go blaspheming this space by saying Topuria is the obvious choice here, and doubly/especially don't you dare go supporting such a case by pointing out his magazine cover good looks! Advertisement Petesy: You're taking the piss with these questions, Mindenhall. I think UFC would probably go for the guy that looks like he's fresh off a GQ shoot every time he appears in public. You know, the same guy who got a standing ovation when he appeared on the hallowed turf of the Santiago Bernebeu with his featherweight title before the Real Madrid players swarmed around him to offer him congratulations. Look, I love Chucky Olives as much as the next guy (though maybe not as much as you, from the looks of it), but Topuria is on that McGregor ascendency. He makes me feel like a spellbound youngster watching Wanderlei Silva impale randos at the end of his butchers' hooks in the early noughties all over again. Topuria, and it's not even close. 3. If Alexandre Pantoja successfully defends his title for the fourth time, where do you rank him among the all-time UFC flyweights? Petesy: Now you're talking! I think he's the best flyweight not named Demetrious Johnson we've seen in the UFC. He's grown on the fan base so much. I remember back in our Ringer days we lamented nobody really gave him the love he deserved when he gave an impassioned speech about his father after winning the title. If he gets through Kai Kara-France this weekend, I'd love to see the UFC pursue that champ showdown with Merab Dvalishvili, which brings me back to the point I made previously about not being able to have nice things. Advertisement Chuck: The Merab fight would be incredible for a lot of reasons, but the biggest being I think Pantoja presents the most problems for him. That is, if he gets by Kara-France (which I think he will). The question is where we'd rank him, though, and we're in agreement on this one — I will have him ranked just behind Demetrious Johnson. It might be a minute before he catches Mighty Mouse, but I find it somewhat incredible he emerged from the dust storm Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo left after their dramatic miniseries. Not only that, but he has a level of nasty that I am not sure any other champion has once that door latches. Dude just gets mean. (Here's hoping we do get that Merab-Pantoja fight though, I mean, we already know we don't get nice things.) Joshua Van kicks Bruno Silva in a flyweight bout during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 7, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo) (Elsa via Getty Images) 4. Given he's stepping up on short notice and accelerating as a contender, should Joshua Van get a title shot next with a victory over one-time title challenger Brandon Royval? Chuck: I think it would be a tremendous thing if Van goes in there and smokes Royval the way he did Bruno Gustavo de Silva, like, what was it? Checks notes … three freaking weeks ago! He would be a flyweight meteorite heading right for bloody Pantoja's heart. Advertisement I do see him as that guy if everything goes to plan. Why not? The UFC had another young gun coming up in Mohammad Mokaev in that division, and instead of giving him a title shot they punted him into the lesser-lit theaters out in Bahrain. Van at least has a lot of eyes on him as he makes the push. Petesy: Well, if they're not doing the Merab fight, why the hell not! I love this kid. So young, so good, and he has shown a keen prey drive when he smells blood in the water. I picked him at the start of the year as one of the guys to watch in 2025, and that pick has stood the test of time a lot better than my top pick in that category, whom I believe we're discussing next … 5. Of the burgeoning stars on the card, who has the brightest future in fighting: Payton Talbott, Joshua Van or Jacobe Smith? Petesy: There he is! Payton Talbott, whom I picked as my top Breakout Star of the Year for 2025, which has become more cursed than Drake's sports betting picks. That's right, the year before it was Benoit Saint-Denis, and we all know what happened in his first fight of 2024 when he ran into a supposedly cooked Dustin Poirier. Advertisement I'm actually more excited about Jacobe since I read your profile on him. He had a helluva debut against Preston Parsons, and I think warlord Niko Price will provide him with another massive opportunity for a highlight reel knockout. Gotta be Van for me, though. The age, the skill ... he seems to be the full package. Chuck: Yeah, Van is the closest to breaking through in the short term. I am not entirely sold on Payton Talbott after that stuff he pulled against Raoni Barcelos back in January, especially given that I wrote a massive profile on him. His wrestling left a lot to be desired. (And by a lot, I mean all of it — all of the desire). I think Smith has a great shot to make waves at welterweight. He's a dude who trains with all the right guys, he has that wrestling pedigree from having competed at Oklahoma State, and he has a wicked stand-up game, as we saw earlier this year in that KO of Parsons. Who else is out there calling out the Russian wrestlers if he wins? This is a guy who really believes he can beat the best of the best by dragging them into his world, and I find that type of alpha brain intriguing.
Forbes
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 317 Fight Card Odds, Picks And Predictions: Dariush Vs. Moicano
PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 28: Renato Moicano of Brazil prepares to face Benoit Saint Denis of France ... More in a lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The Accor Arena on September 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Zuffa LLC A fight the UFC initially booked for UFC 311 takes place on the pay-per-view portion of this weekend's UFC 317 fight card. That lightweight bout finds two UFC veterans who are ranked inside the top 10 facing off. The matchup sees the No. 9 ranked Beneil Dariush opposite the No. 10 Renato Moicano. The UFC 311 scrap between these two 36-year-olds fell apart on weigh-in day of that January 2025 event when the UFC tapped Moicano to step in to face UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev when a back injury prevented the champ's initial opponent, Arman Tsarukyan, from competing. Makhachev submitted Moicano in the first round. Tsarukyan is reportedly the backup fighter for the UFC 317 main event. Two title fights get top billing on the UFC 317 PPV. In the main event, former UFC featherweight champ Ilia Topuria battles ex-UFC lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight strap. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, UFC flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja puts his title on the line against Kai Kara-France. UFC 317 serves as the anchor event for the 2025 edition of International Fight Week. We look at betting odds, line movement, preview, picks, and predictions for the Dariush vs. Moicano matchup on the UFC 317 fight card. Forbes With Jon Jones Retired, Tom Aspinall Opens As Favorite Over Ciryl Gane By Trent Reinsmith AUSTIN, TEXAS - DECEMBER 02: Beneil Dariush of Iran prepares before his lightweight fight against ... More Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia during the UFC Fight Night event at Moody Center on December 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) joined the UFC in January 2014. At the time, Dariush sported a 6-0 record with five stoppage wins. In his promotional debut, Dariush scored a first-round submission win over Charlie Brenneman. Three months later Dariush tasted defeat for the first time, suffering a knockout loss to Ramsey Nijem. Dariush bounced back from that loss with five wins in a row, besting the likes of Daron Cruickshank (submission), Jim Miller (decision) and Michael Johnson (decision). A submission loss to Michael Chiesa ended that winning streak in April 2016. Wins over James Vick (knockout) and Rashid Magomedov put Dariush's record at 14-2, but a rough patch between March 2017 and March 2018 left Dariush at 14-4-1 as he lost to Edson Barboza (knockout), fought to a draw with Evan Dunham and was knocked out by Alexander Hernandez. Dariush rebounded in a big way from that winless run, picking up eight straight victories between November 2018 and October 2022. The most significant win during Dariush's impressive run was his UFC 280 decision win over Mateusz Gamrot. Following that victory, Dariush found himself as the No. 4 ranked fighter in the official UFC rankings and matched up against former UFC 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 289. Oliveira entered the contest as the No. 1 ranked fighter in the promotion's lightweight division. Oliveira won the fight via TKO at 4:10 of the first round, ending Dariush's winning streak. A December 2023 knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan put Dariush on the first losing skid of his career. He has not competed since the loss to Tsarukyan. The 36-year-old Dariush looks to get back in the win column at UFC 317. INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 18: Renato Moicano of Brazil prepares to face Islam Makhachev of ... More Russia in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 311 event at Intuit Dome on January 18, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Zuffa LLC Renato Moicano (20-6-1) was riding the first four-fight winning streak of his UFC career when he stepped in to face Makhachev at UFC 311. The 36-year-old opened his run with the promotion at 3-0 record between 2014 and 2017. Since then, Moicano has been up and down. He followed that by going 5-5 over his next 10 outings before beginning his current unbeaten streak in 2022. Moicano is 7-1 dating back to June 2021. His only loss prior to his UFC 311 setback to Makhachev was a March 2022 unanimous decision defeat to former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in a 160-pound catchweight battle. In April 2024, Moicano picked up his first knockout as a member of the UFC, decking Jalin Turner on the early prelims of the UFC 300 fight card. Then, in September 2024, the UFC tapped Moicano for the first main event of his UFC career against Benoît Saint Denis. That fight ended after the second round after Moicano left Saint Denis' face bloody and swollen. The damage Moicano put on his opponent forced the doctor to wave off the fight as Saint Denis' right eye was nearly swollen shut. Moicano enters UFC 317 as the No. 10 fighter in the UFC's 155-pound weight class. Forbes UFC Announces First Nine Fights For UFC 318 Fight Card By Trent Reinsmith UFC 317 Fight Card Betting Lines And Movement: Beneil Dariush Vs. Renato Moicano At UFC 311, Dariush opened as the +180 betting underdog to Moicano, who was -210. For the UFC 317 matchup between these two, Dariush was the +155 underdog at open to Moicano's -180. Today, according to BetOnline, the fight is a pick 'em with Dariush at -104 and Moicano at -116. UFC 311 Fight Card Tale Of The Tape: Beneil Dariush Vs. Renato Moicano Beneil Dariush Age: 36 Height: 5' 10' Reach: 72' Stance: Southpaw Renato Moicano Age: 36 Height: 5'10' Reach: 72' Stance: Orthodox Forbes UFC Announces First Nine Fights For UFC 319 PPV Fight Card By Trent Reinsmith UFC 317 Fight Card Predictions And Picks: Beneil Dariush Vs. Renato Moicano We all know that in MMA a fighter is only as good as their most recent outing, or at least that's the logic that many follow. Had this fight been booked before Dariush's two recent losses, he would have likely have been the betting favorite. After all, he is the more skilled competitor in this bout. However, Dariush has lost two straight and Moicano, who might have been considered more of a journeyman than a legit lightweight contender before the winning streak that earned him a last-minute title fight, was on the best run of his UFC career before UFC 311. The betting pick is for Beneil Dariush to use his better overall MMA skills to pick up a decision win and end his losing skid. Forbes UFC 317 Fight Card Odds, Picks And Predictions: Talbott Vs. Lima By Trent Reinsmith We will have more on the UFC 317 Dariush vs. Moicano bout as fight night nears, as well as live results, reactions, highlights and more for the UFC 317 pay-per-view card on fight night.
