ABU DHABI – Beneil Dariush showed off his well-rounded skills to halt Mateusz Gamrot’s momentum at UFC 280.
In a main card lightweight clash between two top contenders at Etihad Arena, Dariush (22-4-1 MMA, 16-4-1 UFC) shined with his sharp striking and elite defensive grappling to defeat Gamrot (21-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) by unanimous decision.
Dariush opened up with a jab and an overhand. Gamrot’s takedown attempt lead to a beautiful scramble, but Dariush worked his way up. Blood starts to pour out of Gamrot’s right ear. Gamrot caught a Dariush kick and landed a takedown, but Dariush latched onto a leg to try and secure a leg lock. Gamrot shot again, but Dariush continued to latch onto Gamrot’s legs and arms to work his way back up. A wild first round where Gamrot clearly tried to take the fight to the mat.
To kick off Round 2, Dariush stuffed Gamrot’s first takedown attempt. Dariush pressured forward with a combination and continued to throw kicks, even though Gamrot was wise to them in Round 1. Dariush caught Gamrot coming in with a knee to the body. He continued to march forward where he landed some of his cleanest shots. Gamrot tried to use Dariush’s momentum to land a takedown, but Dariush stuffed it. Dariush stuffed another two takedowns and caught Gamrot with a left. Gamrot landed a knee, followed by a takedown as the round ended.
Gamrot immediately shot to start Round 3, but Dariush scrambled out of it. Dariush connected with a hard low kick as Gamrot started to pressure. Gamrot worked very hard for a takedown, but Dariush showed good balance to stay up. Gamrot kept Dariush on the backfoot, but Dariush countered with a big overhand left which dropped Gamrot. After three rounds of action, Dariush outworked Gamrot for the impressive win.
LEFT HAND LANDED LOUD 😨
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— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 22, 2022
Dariush has now won eight straight. In his post-fight, he reiterated what he told MMA Junkie earlier this week that he won’t beg for a title shot.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 280 results include:
- Beneil Dariush def. Mateusz Gamrot via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Manon Fiorot def. Katlyn Chookagian via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Belal Muhammad def. Sean Brady via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:47
- Caio Borralho def. Makhmud Muradov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Nikita Krylov def. Volkan Oezdemir via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Abubakar Nurmagomedov def. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Armen Petrosyan def. AJ Dobson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Muhammad Mokaev def. Malcolm Gordon via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 4:26
- Karol Rosa def. Lina Lansberg via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 280.
