By Cole Shelton
– December 4, 2023
In the main event of UFC Austin, a fantastic battle of top 10 lightweights went down as Arman Tsarukyan took on Beneil Dariush.
Tsarukyan entered the fight on a two-fight win streak and was coming off a TKO win over Joaquim Silva in his most recent effort. It was also his second UFC main event after he dropped a controversial decision to Mateusz Gamrot last year. Dariush, meanwhile, was set for his first UFC main event and was coming off a first-round knockout loss to Charles Oliveira in June.
Ultimately, it was Arman Tsarukyan who picked up the biggest win of his career as he knocked out Beneil Dariush in the very first round. Now, following the win, here is what I think should be next for both fighters involved in the main event.
Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan proved he is a legit title contender with his first-round knockout win over Beneil Dariush on Saturday at UFC Austin.
Tsarukyan has already fought Islam Makhachev, but he took it on short notice in his debut and had some success in the matchup. Now, with the win over Dariush, he’s a step closer to getting the rematch he wants.
However, the top of the lightweight division is a murky one as Makhachev will likely rematch Charles Oliveira. If that does happen, a fight against Justin Gaethje makes sense, but ‘The Highlight’ will likely wait for his title shot.
If Gaethje does wait for his title shot, Tsarukyan will need to fight behind him and a rematch against Mateusz Gamrot makes sense. It would give Tsarukyan a chance to stay busy and prove he should have won the first fight.
Beneil Dariush
Beneil Dariush is now on a two-fight losing skid and his time as a contender is likely over after the knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Austin.
Dariush will need to take a step back in the rankings if he continues to fight after this loss. A logical next fight is to face Dan Hooker in a Fight Night main event sometime in the summer of 2024. Hooker needs to heal up his arm and this would allow for Dariush to take time off to make sure he is 100 percent.
The winner of Dariush vs Hooker would also be back in the title picture, while the loser would likely have to fight someone unranked.