Prediction for the fight Tony Ferguson vs Beneil Dariush

After a disastrous 2020, Tony Ferguson is still one of the best in the lightweight division. Having yielded to Justin Gagey in the Candidates' match, “El Cucuy” had every chance of getting into the title queue, entering the cage with Charles Oliveira, but this opponent turned out to be impassable for him.


Now, the matchmakers decided to simplify the task of the audience's favorite by arranging a fight with Beneil Dariush, who, although he demonstrates great success, is still not an athlete of the level that Tony had to deal with earlier. However, Beneil gained serious momentum, and Ferguson just slowed them down, which definitely makes their meeting intriguing. At UFC 262, it will become clear who deserves a spot in the organization's top five lightweights.

• Tony Ferguson vs Beneil Dariush;
• Beneil Dariush;
• Tony Ferguson;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Tony Ferguson vs Beneil Dariush

Beneil Dariush

Until 2009, Beneil was engaged in BJJ, having won world titles in this discipline several times. To develop as a fighter, he also practiced Muay Thai, which helped him climb to the top of the UFC food chain. Dariusz has shown himself to be an uncompromising swordsman who does not know how to step back. He poses a serious threat at all levels, and recently, has shown progress in striking technique, organizing several beautiful knockouts.


Until the fall of 2018, things were not going well for Dariush. In those years, he had three defeats in 6 fights, one draw and only a couple of victories, but who would have thought that soon Beneil would not only completely reboot, but also get into the top 10 (9th line) of the division. Victories over Thiago Moises, Drew Dober, Scott Holtzman and other worthy opponents made it clear that the Iranian athlete was just warming up before that. Now it's time for him to fight for a spot in the title race.

Versatile fighter

Beneil is good because he can currently compete with high-level opponents on their own battlefield. He is not afraid to chop in a standing position, and even more so, he never misses an opportunity to tinker with opponents on the ground. About 65% of his victories are knockouts and submissions, so whoever stands in front of Dariush will certainly have a hard time with this guy.

Flirts often

The main disadvantage of Beneil follows from the above dignity - he often completely surrenders to the situation, forgetting about protection, and showing absolutely no signs of the instinct of self-preservation. If the opponent shook him, Dariush will not overlap and try to avoid the attack - he will trample forward and start cutting. In this regard, it is not at all surprising that 75% of his defeats are knockouts.

Fighter's current form and readiness

Right now, in Beneil's career, there is a moment of reaching peak performance. He has 6 wins in a row, 4 bonuses for the best fights, and against the backdrop of all this, he demonstrates good progress in terms of overall functionality and technology. New chips, punches, and more polished moves are all noticeable, and it's safe to say that Dariusz is in one of the best forms of his career.

Tony Ferguson

This fighter is deservedly considered one of the most intimidating veterans of the promotion. His fighting style, consisting of a cocktail of Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, martial arts and much more, terrifies opponents and delights the audience. Tony is famous for his cardio, unique technique, sharp as a blade, elbows, as well as a great desire to see blood on the face of the enemy. And it's worth noting that he is great at doing his job.


Ferguson made his way to the UFC through the TUF reality show where he won the season. He smashed drummers and submitted wrestlers, and from 2013 to 2019, none of the lightweights was able to give him a competitive fight. El Cucuy smashed Edson Barboza, Gleison Tibau, Kevin Lee, and Raphael Dos Anjos and Anthony Pettis. Behind him is the status of an interim champion and one of the most dangerous fighters in the organization, only at the moment, Tony's best years are behind him.

A rare combination of drummer and jitser

Ferguson is one of those athletes who have managed to bring all their skills to the highest level. He knows how to knock out an opponent, but at the same time he can easily drag him to the ground and finish there. Yes, Tony is not the best fighter, however, in terms of the general stock of skills, he can be considered almost the best in his weight class. Simply put - he is able to surprise his counterpart, no matter what plane the battle takes place.

All the best is behind

The last two performances showed that "El Cucuy" does not do well with fighters who do not play by his rules. He could not get close to Gage, who decided to forget about the felling, and showed himself no better in the fight with Oliveira, who turned out to be head and shoulders above Tony in the fight and the ability to control the opponent. This suggests that Ferguson has stopped progressing, and all those skills that he has developed over the years stop working due to the age of the fighter.

Fighter's current form and readiness

Going on a streak of 12 wins, Tony seemed simply invincible. However, two losses in a row revealed his weaknesses, and now it seems that he is not able to perform at the same level. This is undoubtedly true, but let's not forget that until now Ferguson fought with two of the best lightweights in the roster, so it is definitely not worth writing him off, especially in a fight with an opponent far from the elite level.

Bookmakers ' odds

Despite the position in the ratings, the bookmakers consider Beneil Dariusz to be the favorite, giving him an odds of 1.62. But Tony is a rather big outsider, with a coefficient of 2.3 for his victory. Make a bet in the 1xbet apk app!

Comparative analysis

Ferguson has a good advantage in anthropometry, towering 5 cm above the enemy, and taking the lead in the span of the arms by as much as 11 cm.With regard to styles, again, Tony goes with a small margin, since he is very good in standing and at the same time only once in his career inferior to submission, and even then more than 10 years ago. At the same time, Dariush cannot boast of the same arsenal of attacks and techniques - he acts more straightforward and openly, rarely hiding blows and not preparing attacks in advance. This also includes the general activity in battle - Tony delivers almost twice as many accented punches, while better defending against oncoming attacks.

The only thing the guys can compete in is the parterre, because Beneil has the highest level of skills in BJJ, and he can make Ferguson sweat. As for the rest: cardio, movement, stamina, fighting IQ, experience - the veteran has superiority in everything, only that all this can be canceled out, given that he is already 37 years old, and the peak form is behind. But Dariush is in his prime, and is able to surprise his star counterpart.

Tony Ferguson vs Beneil Dariush Fight Prediction

Beneil Dariusz, according to the bookmakers, has a much better chance of winning. But what we really see: Tony is better than him in the stance, he is able to maintain a high pace of combat over long distances, and his BJJ skills are sufficient to withstand even such a master of submissions. There is a certain possibility that Beneil will follow Oliveira's example and keep Ferguson on the ground, but first he will have to get closer to El Cucuy, which does not bode well. It is necessary to take into account the quotes in this fight, you cannot argue with them, however, in my opinion, Tony is a fairly high-class fighter and, despite previous defeats, he is able to cope with an athlete of Dariush's caliber. The balance of forces here is very close, about 55 to 45, and yet the veteran's achievements look very impressive not to give him a good chance of winning. Prediction: Tony Ferguson wins