Arman Tsarukyan knocks out Beneil Dariush in career-best win at UFC Fight Night

AUSTIN – The UFC has a potential new star at 155 pounds.

Georgian lightweight Arman Tsarukyan (21-3) knocked out Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) with a piston right hand in just 64 seconds on Saturday. The fight headlined UFC Fight Night inside the Moody Center.

It was the biggest win of Tsarukyan’s career and improved his UFC record to 8-2. His only losses came against current champion Islam Makhachev in 2019 and a somewhat controversial decision against Mateusz Gamrot in 2022. Saturday was the quickest end of Tsarukyan’s UFC appearances.

“I wanted to perform well, knock him out, go home and win my title fight,” Tsarukyan said. “I want to thank Beneil a lot. He is the most respected fighter in our division for me. Nobody wanted to fight me. Only one guy wanted to fight and that was Beneil Dariush. Thanks to him, I am a top fighter five, and I hope my next fight is for the title. If not, it doesn’t matter. I’ll fight the next one. I’m going to be a champion.”

Tsarukyan, 27, landed a right hand after bringing down Dariush’s defense with a knee to the body. His speed advantage was obvious. Tsarukyan landed four more right hands after Dariush crashed to the canvas, but none were likely needed. Tsarukyan leapt out of the Octagon to celebrate with some of his supporters sitting cageside.

Quietly, Tsarukyan is establishing himself as one of the most dominant lightweights in the division. He struggled to attract big-name opponents like Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje or Michael Chandler, but his victories over lesser-known fighters like Damir Ismagulov, Joel Alvarez and Olivier Aubin-Mercier demonstrated his enormous potential.

Dariush, 34, suffered his second consecutive defeat after winning eight in a row. He was one win away from earning a title shot in June, but suffered a first-round TKO loss to former champion Charles Oliveira.