MMA Preview – Tony Ferguson vs Beneil Dariush at UFC 262
TONY FERGUSON VS BENEIL DARIUSH FACTS
When is UFC 262? Sunday 16th May, 2021 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 262? Toyota Center, Houston, Texas (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 262? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 261
What channel is UFC 262 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 262? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
TONY FERGUSON VS BENEIL DARIUSH LOWDOWN
Tony Ferguson (25-5) has lost his last two fights which inevitably means a lot of people are going to write him off. But let’s remember those losses were to Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira who were both in the form of their life and although ‘El Cucuy’ was outclassed, those losses came after one of the best winning streaks we have seen. He racked up 12 wins in a row which was the lightweight record at the time and included the likes of Josh Thompson (decision), Edson Barboza (submission), Rafael dos Anjos (decision), Kevin Lee (submission), Anthony Pettis (TKO) and Donald Cerrone (TKO).
Ferguson has now been fed another veteran who is in the form of his life in Beneil Dariush (20-4-1). After Dariush got knee’d into a different month by Barboza, drew with Evan Dunham and then got knocked out by Alexander Hernandez, it looked like the talented vet would never live up to his potential. However, he has proceeded to go on a six-fight tear including exceptional wins over Drew Dober (submission), Drakkar Klose (knockout), Scott Holtzman (knockout) and is now coming off a split decision win over Carlos Diego Ferreira to make it 2-0 against the Brazilian snapping his own impressive six-fight win streak.
TONY FERGUSON VS BENEIL DARIUSH PREDICTION
The co-main event is destined to be a banger. They are both absolute animals who can finish a fight however they want and as their defence does not quite live up to their offence, we are likely to see a very violent battle.
After going on a momentous win streak to then get brutally finished on the feet and then schooled on the ground, it is completely normal to experience self-doubt. However, Ferguson is not normal and as he operates on a different frequency to other fighters let alone the average joe, we cannot write him off just yet.
The damage Ferguson has absorbed will be a worry with Dariush’s knockout power especially as his preferred method of defence is to swallow his opponents’ fists. Dariush has all of the momentum and he will be confident he can hurt Ferguson on the feet like Gaethje did and out grapple him like Oliveira did.
If they decide to grapple, the scrambles will be thrilling but we expect the majority of this to play out on the feet and it could easily turn into ‘rock em sock em robots’. There are question marks over Ferguson now, but this is a good match-up for him as Dariush is also very hittable. They both thrive in scrappy fights, but Ferguson is made for it.
Their durability should drag this into the third round where Ferguson will be in his element with his unwavering cardio and he we fancy him to remind everyone he is still a dog with a late knockout.
Prediction: Ferguson via KO/TKO - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
