This is the UFC 322 live blog for Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis, the main card catchweight bout Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Dariush (23-6-1), currently No. 8 in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings at 155 pounds, actually missed weight for this contest, coming in 1.2 pounds over the limit. He recently returned to the win column with a decision nod over Renato Moicano after suffering back-to-back knockout losses. The 36-year-old has been a mainstay in the lightweight top 10 for years, but now has to defend his spot against a hard-charging Saint Denis.
After a disappointing 2024 campaign, Saint Denis (15-3, 1 NC) has gone 2-0 in 2025 with submission wins over Mauricio Ruffy and Kyle Prepolec. The Frenchman is known for his finishing prowess, with his 15 pro victories all coming by way of knockout or submission. A third win in six months could propel Saint Denis into title contention next year.
Check out the UFC 322 live blog for Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint Denis below.
Beneil Dariush missed weight for this one (boooooo!) but the veteran is still a tough test for Benoit Saint Denis, who still chases his first top 10 ranking.
Saint Denis a near 2-to-1 favorite at -190, with Dariush a slight underdog at +160.
Herb Dean the referee for this contest.
Leg kicks from Dariush to start. Saint Denis right in his face. He stumbles, but gets up, and smacks Dariush with a left right on the temple. Dariush face-plants and Dean steps in for the stoppage! Dariush looks disoriented, don’t think he realizes he was woken up by the mat. Good stoppage.
Official result: Benoit Saint Denis def. Beneil Dariush via KO (punch) – Round 1, 0:16
Saint Denis says he’s targeting both the “BMF” and UFC lightweight titles.
“I will do whatever the UFC tells me to do. I’m a soldier.”
