Imagine dedicating years to your craft, dominating opponents, and climbing the ranks, only to feel like a title shot is perpetually out of reach. That's the frustrating reality for some UFC fighters, and Beneil Dariush, despite an incredible eight-fight win streak, felt it acutely.
Title opportunities in the UFC's lightweight division are notoriously hard-won. We've seen talented and dominant fighters like Tony Ferguson and Arman Tsarukyan build impressive records, only to be sidelined by unfortunate circumstances or simply passed over for a shot at the undisputed championship. In Ferguson's case, multiple scheduled title fights were derailed by injuries, a heartbreaking series of events that prevented him from achieving what many felt he deserved. Tsarukyan, too, has faced a similar struggle, constantly battling for recognition in a stacked division.
Consider Beneil Dariush. Once ranked #3 in the lightweight division, he amassed a string of impressive victories, including a dominant performance against former interim champ Tony Ferguson (almost finishing him!) and a decision win over Mateusz Gamrot, a fighter headlining UFC events. But here's where it gets controversial... despite this stellar run, a title fight never materialized.
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Dariush himself admitted he never felt like the UFC was going to grant him that coveted title shot. During his eight-fight win streak – the second-longest in the lightweight division behind then-champion Islam Makhachev -- Dariush was riding high, undefeated from 2019 to 2022. But the title picture remained elusive. In 2023, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski stepped up twice to challenge Makhachev for the lightweight belt, first as a short-notice replacement for Oliveira and then again in a rematch at UFC 294. And this is the part most people miss... the constant shifting of opponents and the allure of champion-versus-champion matchups often overshadow the deserving contenders patiently waiting their turn.
Before his loss to Charles Oliveira, which ended his impressive streak, Dariush expressed his frustration to Helen Yee. "It’s a such a weird division and it’s even weirder for me," he said. "You never know what’s gonna happen. At some point, I was on an eight-fight win streak and I never, it never felt like I was gonna get the title shot," Dariush continued. "And they didn’t, it didn’t seem like they were gonna give it to me."
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Dariush added, "So now, one more fight. I don’t know where it puts me. But the goal is to just dominate. I have to put myself to a position where there’s no other choice [than to give me a title fight]. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna give them no other choice," he confidently asserted before his fight against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322.
Dariush, now 36 years old, has won nine of his last eleven fights. Currently ranked #9 in the UFC lightweight division after a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Renato Moicano at UFC 317, he remains a force to be reckoned with.
There's a certain category of UFC fighters, talented and high-ranking, who, for various reasons, never quite reach the pinnacle of a title fight. Beneil Dariush certainly fits this description. Consider Jimmie Rivera, who recently retired. He was once ranked #3 in the world and boasted an impressive 21-1 record in 2017. But the former UFC bantamweight contender never got his title shot, losing a title eliminator bout to Marlon Moraes, who then fought Henry Cejudo for the vacant title in 2019.
Another example is Cub Swanson, who is also considering retirement. Swanson, a longtime fan favorite, was on the cusp of a title opportunity in 2017 when his four-fight win streak was snapped by a then-undefeated Brian Ortega.
This raises a crucial question: What truly determines who gets a title shot in the UFC? Is it solely based on win streaks and rankings, or are other factors like marketability, timing, and even luck at play? And, perhaps more controversially, does the UFC prioritize certain fighters over others, regardless of their records? Is it fair to those who dedicate everything to the sport, only to be denied the ultimate opportunity? What are your thoughts on this complex issue? Share your opinions in the comments below!
