Athletes
Beneil Dariush | ‘Fighting Is My First Nature’
UFC Lightweight Veteran Opens Up On His Fighting Mindset Ahead Of Co-Main Event Clash In Perth
If you were to ask around the MMA world about Beneil Dariush, there’s a good chance among the first words you’ll get back are that he’s a “good guy”. But, despite being one of the most respectful athletes on the UFC roster, Dariush still harbors the killer instinct of an elite-level combat sports athlete.
Dariush exudes calmness and composure whenever you see him. He speaks softly, considers his answers carefully, and always gives thoughtful responses to questions. It’s part of what has made him one of the classiest operators in the UFC lightweight division for the past 12 years.
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Despite his well-earned reputation as one of the sport’s good guys, Dariush is also one of the most dangerous men in the world at 155 pounds. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, but rather than having to internally fight to leave his niceness to one side when he steps into the Octagon, he revealed the real battle happens when he’s away from the fighting arena.
“The biggest mystery about me is, (and) I don't really know how to explain this, but fighting has always been my first nature,” he explained.
“To kill or die – it kind of makes the most sense. It's just, as a Christian, though, I've had to change in a lot of ways … so it’s one of those things where I'm still figuring it out. Tell me to go kill or die – no problem, I'll go to battle. Being kind is hard. Being nice is hard. Those are things I have to work really hard on.
“I think the reason why people do think I'm so nice is because I'm so mindful of it. And the first thought that comes to my head is, most of the time, not the right thought, let's just put it that way! So I'm constantly working on it, and it allows me to put my best foot forward as far as my interactions with people.
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“But, ultimately, fighting has always been the first answer. It always made the most sense. And it just seemed like it was my first nature.
“There's no switch flipping, or whatever you want to call it. I feel like the switch is always on. The hard part is kind of holding that back. To step into the Octagon is just to go through a regular day. Every day I fight. If my body can handle it, I train every day, and I essentially fight in my training, and I’d do it all day, every day, for the rest of my life.
Beneil Dariush | Family Is Forever
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Beneil Dariush | Family Is Forever
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“I thought as I got older, I would have less of a desire for it, but it's not like that at all. I still want to compete. I still want to beat people up, and it's just the easiest thing in the morning.”
The latest opportunity to bring out his inner fighter comes this weekend, where he returns to action at UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates.
The 36-year-old remains a serious threat to anyone in the world at 155 pounds, and plans to remind people of that fact when he returns to action this weekend in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates.
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Dariush has jetted from California to Perth, Australia, to take on hometown hero Quillan Salkilld, an 11-1 prospect who is looking to use Dariush as a launchpad to contender status in the always-crowded 155-pound division.
“He's good, man. He's very good, actually,” said Dariush, who has been impressed with what he’s seen from the Aussie so far.
“My job is to essentially shut him down. I think he's going to be the future of the division, but my job is to delay that.
“I think experience is going to play a factor. I think just, I think everything he does, I do better, and I can take advantage of that.
“I would say in the later rounds, maybe, like the third round, the experience really helps. Just being used to feeling that, in the third round, you're tired, and you're like, ‘Man, I've trained so hard. Why am I so tired?’ But it's normal, you know? You're pushing as hard as you can. So I think that experience is something good to have.”
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The fight is also a chance for Dariush to banish the memories of his last outing, where he was dramatically finished in just 16 seconds by Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 322. For some fighters, such a defeat could take weeks or months to fully process and get out of their system. But in that moment after his loss in New York, Dariush simply turned to his faith.
“For me, nothing really changes,” he admitted.
“My faith in God is what allows me to be who I am. And after the last fight, I did the same thing. I gave it all to the Lord, and I essentially stepped back in, just the way I was, a new man.”
Dariush’s faith has played a strong role in his career, and he said that it has helped give him a freedom to just be himself, rather than conform to the fighting stereotypes that exist in the sport.
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“I think the thing that allows me to stay in the division, stay at the top, and stay hungry, is just not letting everybody put labels on me,” he explained.
“I don't want other people telling me what I am. I want to allow God to do that. And I want to move forward like that, and I’m much more free because of that. And it's a lot harder to wear me down or break me down, and I'm able to do whatever I want.”
Beneil Dariush | UFC Honors, 2024
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Beneil Dariush | UFC Honors, 2024
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It all means Dariush has arrived in Australia fully prepared and ready for the challenge ahead. And while he acknowledges the talent his opponent is bringing to the Octagon, he said he’s ready to turn to his full repertoire of skills to claim the 24th win of his career.
“I think the path to victory is just being well-rounded and being able to outperform in all the positions and situations,” he said.
“He's got skills everywhere, so if I try to do only one thing, he's going to take advantage of something else. I'm ready for wherever the fight goes. And I think I could put the pressure on him wherever the fight goes.”
And as for what could be next for Dariush after this weekend, he said he’s adopted a fresh approach to his career and will simply take things as they come.
“It’s weird. This is the first time where I don't really have a plan for after this fight,” he admitted.
“It's taking things one at a time, and we'll see, we'll see what happens after this fight. I have no plans. It's a new thing. It's just something I've decided. I've been praying on it, and it's been making more sense to me.”
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on May 2, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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