A potential lightweight classic is being targeted for the UFC’s May pay-per-view.
According to MMA Junkie, the No. 5 ranked lightweight Tony Ferguson will be fighting No. 9 ranked Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 on May 15. Brett Okamoto of ESPN would later confirm the news as well.
Sorry, Islam Makhachev.
Dariush (20-4-1) wanted a big name for his next fight, and he got it. Dariush is on a six-fight winning streak, dating back to 2018. Four of those wins have come by finish. He submitted Drew Dober and Frank Camacho in 2019, and then he would go to knock out Drakkar Klose and Scott Holtzman in 2020. Dariush is coming off a $50,000 Fight of the Night winning performance against Diego Ferreira in February.
Ferguson (25-5) is on the first losing streak of his legendary career. After winning 12 straight from 2013 to 2019, Ferguson has been dominated in his last two fights. “El Cucuy” fought Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title on the first fight card back after the sports world shut down. He would wind up finished in the fifth round. Ferguson would then fight on the last PPV of the year, UFC 256, and would lose to Charles Oliveira via a unanimous decision.
The winner of this fight will be right in the mix of the ridiculously stacked lightweight division.
No main event for UFC 262 has been revealed just yet, but the rest of the card now looks like this:
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gina Mazany
- Edson Barboza vs. Shane Burgos
- Viviane Araujo vs. Katlyn Chookagian
- Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
- Andrea Lee. vs. Antonina Shevchenko
- Jordan Wright vs. Jamie Pickett
- Christos Giagos vs. Joel Alvarez
- Tony Ferguson vs. Beneil Dariush
