Beneil Dariush looks to reassert himself among the lightweight elite when he meets Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322, a high-stakes clash set for Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
“Yeah this is a good fight. It’s exciting, he’s a good fighter, he’s very skilled. He’s more experienced now,” Dairush told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
“I just think stylistically it’s a fun fight for me, and I think I’m better. I’m excited for the fight.”
Dariush (23-6-1) has done his homework on Benoit Saint-Denis, and he’s not fooled by the flashy finishes. The veteran lightweight believes the real danger lies beneath the surface.
“When I watch him I see more of a grappler to be honest with you, but everybody sees him differently. I would say current culture is very short-attention spanned so what you see a lot is his highlights, but if you watch the entirety of his fights, clearly he’s a great grappler,” he said.
“Very dominant in that, and I think something I need to watch out for.”
A win over Saint-Denis would move Dariush into second place all-time for victories in the UFC’s lightweight division, trailing only Jim Miller. It’s a milestone the veteran admitted he wasn’t aware of, but one he finds pretty cool.
“I wasn’t aware of it, but it sounds cool. It sounds very cool. Even Cowboy (Donald Cerrone) he had more wins because he went to 170 and whatever. I’m sure there’s other guys that fought in different divisions, but it’s still cool,” said Dariush.
Watch the entire media day scrum with Beneil Dariush above. He faces Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 322 on Saturday night.
