Beneil Dariush earned a spot for himself in the top tier of the lightweight division of the UFC by dominating fifth-ranked Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of UFC 262.
Although it took Beneil Dariush 20 fights in the UFC to highlight himself as a legitimate threat, the first person he called out after grabbing his breakthrough victory over Tony Ferguson was not even a fighter.
In an unexpected move, 31-year-old Beneil Dariush called Tesla CEO Elon Musk out. In the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Beneil Dariush said:
"... Joe, [I] want to call out your buddy Elon! Elon Musk! Where is my wife's car, bro?! I have been waiting for six months! I'm having a baby. I need a big car, I need to protect my daughter. Let's go, Elon, get me my car!"
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Beneil Dariush sure seems focused on taking care of his family. What better platform for customer complaints than the winning speech in one of the biggest events of the world's leading mixed martial arts promotion?
What is next for Beneil Dariush?
Beneil Dariush had stated before his fight with Tony Ferguson that he would need to stay one step ahead of 'El Cucuy' if he wanted to win. Dariush did precisely that.
Beneil Dariush came out on the offensive, being extremely precise and patient, yet applying relentless pressure. He used strong hooks and polished BJJ fundamentals to dominate Tony Ferguson on the ground.
Beneil even opened up a potential submission victory opportunity for himself by locking in a heel hook. The submission was locked in so tight that Beneil Darish claimed he heard Tony Ferguson's knee pop out. It is perhaps safe to say that anyone besides Tony Ferguson would certainly have tapped due to the immense pain the lock visibly caused. Beneil Dariush himself stated that Tony Ferguson was a zombie for having borne the pain.
Nevertheless, Beneil Dariush displayed a thorough and disciplined fighting style to bag the unanimous decision victory. He stated that he wants to compete for a title eliminator next.
However, Beneil Dariush will take some time off the octagon to spend some time with his daughter, who could be along any day now. The winner of the co-main event of UFC 262 expects the timeline of his return to be centered around the end of this year.