AUSTIN — The UFC has a new potential star at 155 pounds.
Georgia lightweight Arman Sarukyan (21-3) knocked out Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) with a piston right hand in just 64 seconds on Saturday. The fight was headlined by UFC Fight Night inside the Moody Center.
It was the biggest win of Tsarukyan’s career and improves his record to 8-2 in the UFC. His only losses came against defending champion Islam Makache in 2019 and a somewhat controversial decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot in 2022. Saturday was the fastest of Tsarukyan’s UFC appearances.
“I wanted to do well, knock him out, go home and get my title shot,” Sarukian said. “I want to say a big thank you to Beneil. He is the most respected fighter in our division. Nobody wants to fight me. There’s only one guy I want to fight and that’s Beneil Darush. Because of him, I’m a top five fighter and hopefully my next fight will be for the title. If not It’s okay. I’ll fight the next guy. I’m going to be the champion.”
The 27-year-old Tsarukyan took Dariush down guard with a knee to the body and then landed a right hand. His speed advantage was evident. Tsarukyan landed four more right hands after Dariush crashed to the canvas, but none were necessary. Sarukyan jumped out of the Octagon to celebrate with some of his supporters sitting in the cage.
Quietly, Tsarukyan is solidifying himself as one of the division’s most dominant lightweights. He struggled to impress big-name opponents like Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje or Michael Sandler, but his wins over lesser-known fighters like Tamir Ismakulov, Joel Alvarez and Olivier Aubin-Mercier showcased his immense potential.
The 34-year-old Daryush suffered his second straight defeat after winning eight in a row earlier. He was one win away from earning a title shot in June, but suffered a first-round TKO loss to former champion Charles Oliveira.
