With yet another fantastic finish, Beneil Dariush is becoming one of the hottest fighters in the UFC’s lightweight division.
Dariush delivered an epic spinning back fist knockout of Scott Holtzman at the 4:38 mark of the opening round in their UFC on ESPN+ 32 main-card opener Saturday night. It was the eighth such finish in UFC history.
That marks five straight wins for Dariush (19-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC), the past four by stoppage.
“That was 50/50,” Dariush said during his post-fight interview. “I wasn’t always like this. Sometimes it happens. I forget everything and just do stuff.”
The bout got off to a frisky start when both competitors delivered eye pokes that necessitated timeouts. Dariush came out of the second infraction on fire and delivered a furious flurry that caused Holtzman (14-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to attempt a desperation takedown.
There was no letup after the ensuing scramble. Holtzman regained his bearings. He was looking to pick up the pace when he walked right into Dariush’s backfist, which appeared to actually connect with his forearm. Either way, it spelled an instant end to the fight. Holtzman had a two-fight winning streak snapped.
Dariush earned “Performance of the Night” in each of his previous three victories, but he’s ineligible Saturday due to missing weight by two pounds Friday. Dariush suggested that if the UFC considered his performance bonus-worthy, to give the $50,000 to Holtzman instead.
“Scott’s so good and I’ve got to say, even though I won I’m still super embarrassed about how I missed weight,” Dariush said. “If that’s performance (bonus) worthy, give it to Scott.”
The catchweight bout opened up the main card at UFC on ESPN+ 32 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 32 results include:
- Beneil Dariush def. Scott Holtzman via TKO (spinning back fist) – Round 1, 4:38
- Tim Means def. Laureano Staropoli via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kevin Holland def. Joaquin Buckley via TKO (punch) – Round 3, 0:32
- Nasrat Haqparast def. Alexander Munoz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Andrew Sanchez def. Wellington Turman via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:14
- Gavin Tucker def. Justin Jaynes via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:43
- Youssef Zalal def. Peter Barrett via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Irwin Rivera def. Ali Alqaisi via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
