UFC 262 was a pivotal moment in Tony Ferguson’s 10-year UFC run. A loss to Beneil Dariush would be the third straight and end any future championship hopes the 37-year-old had. However, if he could beat the surging Iranian, then he would prove he was still an elite lightweight, and his previous losses to Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira were not necessarily signs of age-induced decline.
Surprisingly, Dariush is the one that came out very aggressive in the first. Throwing punches and kicks all over Ferguson. A minute and a half in and he took it to the ground where he felt he had the advantages. Yet, Ferguson was able to defend with some unorthodox ground play before his opponent was able to transition, and land ground-and-pound from Ferguson’s full guard. It was a great first round for the ninth-ranked “Benny.” As he was the aggressor on the feet and landed notable strikes. Then he was the controlling force on the mat, where Ferguson stayed on his back for the better part of four minutes.
Beneil Dariush dominates Tony Ferguson to score biggest win of his career
Thirty seconds into the second round and Dariush scored another takedown. “El Cucuy” threatened a d’arce choke, but his opponent showed his grappling talents by patiently waiting it out, and eventually taking over the ground battle once again. With two minutes left, Ferguson was able to scramble up, but that led to another wild scramble between the two that ended with him being locked in a heel hook from Dariush. Several times the 37-year-old grimaced in pain during the hold, but gritted it out and survived. However, it was another round with Dariush showing off being a level above on the mat.
In the third, Ferguson’s leg seemed compromised from the heel hook and his movement looked unstable. In the end, it didn’t matter as his 32-year-old opponent slammed him to the mat anyway. And with that, the final round was similar to the other two as it was a grappling clinic from the Iranian.
The announcement of a unanimous decision win for Dariush was just an eventuality. He now has won seven straight and has to be in line for some major fights with a top-five talent at lightweight next. It was a career-best performance in the biggest win of his 20 fight UFC tenure. He moves to 15-4-1 in the promotion.
It is now clear that Ferguson is no longer an elite 155-pound fighter anymore. The question is, can he still be a good lightweight in the UFC, or are his days numbered in his long-time home. The next few weeks and months should tell a lot about his future in the promotion.
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