Beneil Dariush dominates previously undefeated Diego Ferreira in decision
Diego Ferreira defeated Ramsey Nijem and Nijem beat Beneil Dariush. So, of course Ferreira should have beaten Dariush, right?
Not exactly.
Dariush dominated the previously undefeated Ferreira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC 179 on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro, further proving that MMA math doesn't exactly work.
The first round was pretty close, but Dariush got a takedown late and that was likely enough to pull it out. The next two rounds were not close at all. Ferreira blitzed in a few times and landed, but then looked tired. Dariush landed the cleaner, crisper strikes, hit takedowns and also controlled things on the ground for the most part.
Dariush (9-1) looked like a pretty solid prospect before falling to Nijem in April, and he can rightly reclaim that title again after beating Ferreira. The Iran native has now won two straight. Dariush, 25, looked pretty well-rounded against Ferreira, beating him standing up and on the ground, where Ferreira was supposed to have the advantage.
Ferreira (11-1) didn't look like the same fighter who knocked Nijem out at UFC 177 in August. Perhaps fighting three times in four months has not agreed with him. Ferreira, 29, is still an interesting prospect in the lightweight division if he makes adjustments after this loss.
