Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is expected to return to the cage opposite rising contender Beneil Dariush at UFC 262.
News of this planned matchup was first reported by MMA Junkie on Friday. The report notes that the fight has been verbally agreed to, but that contracts are not yet signed.
Ferguson has long stood out as one of the UFC’s top lightweight, but has recently fallen on tough times, having gone 0-2 in 2020. He experienced his first loss of the year in May, when he was walloped to a fifth-round TKO by Justin Gaethje. He then experienced a second consecutive loss in December, when he lost a decision to Charles Oliveira.
Prior to those losses, Ferguson was on a fantastic, 12-fight win-streak, highlighted by wins over fighters like Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis, and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
In Dariush, Ferguson will meet a fighter on an impressive six-fight win-streak. Dariush last competed in February, when he picked up a split decision victory over Diego Ferreira. Other highlights of his current streak include wins over Thiago Moises, Drew Dober, and Drakkar Klose. He’s also scored previous wins over solid foes like Rashid Magomedov, Michael Johnson, Jim Miller, Diego Ferreira, Anthony Rocco Martin, and Charlie Brenneman.
UFC 262 is slated for May 15, most likely in Las Vegas. The card doesn’t currently have an official main event, but it does include a number of compelling matchups already.
See how the card looks with the addition of this Ferguson vs. Dariush fight below:
- Beneil Dariush vs. Tony Ferguson
- Jamie Pickett vs. Jordan Wright
- Priscila Cachoeira vs. Gina Mazany
- Viviane Araujo vs. Katlyn Chookagian
- Alex Perez vs. Matt Schnell
- Andrea Lee vs. Antonina Shevchenko
- Edson Barboza vs. Shane Burgos
