Beneil Dariush: Islam Makhachev Holds Edge Over Arman Tsarukyan in Longer Fight

Beneil Dariush believes “energy conservation” is going to be the differentiator in a potential clash between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan .

Tsarukyan earned a title shot against Makhachev with a split-decision victory in a title eliminator against Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April. However, Tsarukyan turned down a title shot for UFC 302 last month, citing the quick turnaround. Makhachev, who was insistent on defending his lightweight title in the summer, went on to submit Dustin Poirier in the fifth round of the UFC 302 main event.

Meanwhile, Tsarukyan was fined $25,000 and suspended for nine months for throwing a punch at a fan during his UFC 300 walkout. However, Tsarukyan’s ban will be reduced to six months if he issues a commission-approved anti-bullying public service announcement, making him eligible to compete by Oct. 12. With Makhachev highly likely to be part of UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi, Tsarukyan is expected to challenge the champ next.

Dariush, who is coming off a first-round knockout loss against Tsarukyan, recently shared his prediction for a potential clash between “Ahalkalakets” and Makahchev. While Dariush observed Makhachev slowing down with time in his tough test against Poirier, the Assyrian-American believes Tsarukyan slows down even more. Dariush believes Makhachev is more economical with his energy, which will earn him a decision win or a late finish over Tsarukyan. According to Dariush, “Ahalkalakets” only has a chance of winning the fight early and is likely to lose a drawn-out affair.

“The openings I saw in Makhachev [fight against Poirier] were the same ones I saw when he fought [Alexander] Volkanovski. He does slow down quite a bit and that could be a big factor,” Dariush told Submission Radio . “But the problem is, I think Arman Tsarukyan also slows down, and he slows down more. I think Islam’s best weapons are his takedown defense and his patience. So, I think he’s a better fighter economically speaking, than Tsarukyan. And I think that’s gonna be the key in the fight. I think the fight’s gonna go into the later rounds and that’s gonna be what helps Makhachev. I think he’s gonna win the fight, decision most likely or finish at the end. But I think for Arman, his best chances are early. He’s an explosive guy. He can come out early, he can possibly get a KO or submission early on. But it’s gonna be hard for him to win a five-round fight in my opinion.”

Tsarukyan made his UFC debut on short notice against Makhachev in 2019, giving the Dagestani a run for his money despite ending up on the short side of a unanimous decision. While Dariush believes the win gives Makhachev a slight advantage, he also suggests the champ should draw from his shortcomings in that fight.

“I think it does give him an advantage but also there is one problem with it,” Dariush said. “I think he also has to remember like, ‘Man I had weaknesses in these places and this guy was able to take advantage of that.’ So, he has to think about that as well… It’s gonna be interesting who makes the bigger adjustments. Because the fight was so close last time, and I think the fight will be close again. And I think it’s the energy conservation of Makhachev that’s gonna win the fight.”