Beneil Dariush weighs up retirement amid UFC Austin knockout loss: ‘Do I go forward or am I done?’
Perennial lightweight contender, Beneil Dariush has revealed he is currently weighing-up his fighting future in mixed martial arts, off the back of his second consecutive opening round knockout loss, dropping a devastating defeat to Arman Tsarukyan inside the opening minute of their UFC Austin main event at the beginning of the month.
Dariush, the current number seven ranked lightweight contender, headlined the promotion’s return to Texas earlier this month against Armenian contender, Tsarukyan, suffering his second consecutive defeat in the form of a blistering knockout loss inside the opening minute of their clash.
The defeat came as Dariush’s second on the trot, having dropped a first round ground strikes TKO loss to former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira in the pair’s championship-eliminator at UFC 289 back in June of this year.
Beneil Dariush weighs up fighting future
And off the back of his crushing loss to Tsarukyan, Kings MMA staple, Dariush admitted he is weighing-up his immediate future in the sport.
“I’m just trying to figure out, like, do I go forward? Or am I done kind of deal?” Beneil Dariush told Submission Radio. “‘Cause I’m not trying to be like a 50-50 fighter or even a top-10 fighter. I’m trying to be the number one in the world. I want to be the best, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. So, yeah, I guess just that’s how I deal with it.”
“I got back to prayer and see what the Lord kind of shows me,” Beneil Dariush explained. “Last time, I had a lot of issues physically with my neck and just, I said I would solve those issues and then go back into the Octagon and see how that goes. And I did that. I had a big change in my performance. I went from being 0-3 to like 8-0. And so, the neck made a big difference. But this time I don’t have any health issues. My neck is pretty good, overall. I don’t have any issues with it. So, it’s a different spot I’m in than I was back then.”
What do you think Beneil Dariush does next post-UFC Austin?
