Should Dariush Fight Ruffy Next?

03/10/2025 09:56 PM

Exciting Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Mauricio Ruffy scored a big frontrunner for 'Knockout of the Year' at UFC 313 this past weekend when landed a picture-perfect spinning wheel kick on King Green from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights).

After his incredible show-stealing knockout, Ruffy already had a name locked and loaded for a potential next opponent: No. 9 rankedBeneil Dariush.

Dariush did not take long to respond to the Brazilian's call-out, clarifying that he hopes to get a ranked opponent next.

"I was talking to my friends; I was like, 'Man, I'm pretty sure he is gonna finish him in the first round,'" Dariush told Submission Radio. "Then, he finished him like that, I was like, 'Man, it was even more impressive than what I was expecting.' I would say, overall, I was very impressed with the guy. As far as the call-out goes, like, man, you could call out whoever you want. I don't really care. It's like Dana White, Sean Shelby, and Hunter [Campbell]. It depends on who they want me to fight, right?

"That's kind of where I'm at right now. There was a period where I fought a lot of guys outside of the rankings. It didn't really move me that much forward," Dariush added. "So, at this point, I want the fights that are gonna get me to the title the quickest. So that's really what I'm waiting for, to get that call...That's the ideal situation. But if they call me to fight him, so be it."

So, should Dariush (22-6-1) accept Ruffy's call out?

Unfortunately, the 35-year-old is coming off two stoppage losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, the last one really bad (watch it). UFC probably sees Dariush as damaged goods at this point, even though he was scheduled to take on Renato Moicanoat UFC 311 in January but got sidelined when Moicano stepped up to fight for the title.

I personally don't think Ruffy should get the Dariush fight just yet, mainly because he's only 3-0 inside the Octagon with wins over Jamie Mullarkey (watch), James Llontop, and now Green.

Ruffy's teammates, Carlos Prates and Jean Silva, are 4-0 in the UFC and have fights with ranked opposition for their next outings, so, in theory, he could also get a ranked opponent. And UFC does have something special with Ruffy, as he is a highlight machine.

Could "One Shot" go in there and starch Dariush and take his No. 9 ranking? Sure, but what if he doesn't? We've seen many young Lightweight killers try and take out UFC veterans and fail - for example, Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Dustin Poirier, Rafael Fiziev vs. Justin Gaethje, and Grant Dawson vs. Green. Hell, Dariush gave Mateusz Gamrot a chance in 2022.

Also, I'm trying to be empathic towards Dariush, who was so, so, so close to getting a long-overdue title shot against Islam Makhachev, only to be battered by Oliveira. So, he should get rebooked with Moicano or maybe fightDan Hooker.

Okay, enough of my rambling and quasi-fence sitting. Do you think Darisuh should fight Ruffy next? Let me know in the comments.

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