Ranked lightweights Beneil Dariush and Benoit Saint Denis are scheduled to clash in a potential show stealer at the upcoming UFC 322 card in New York on Nov. 15.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Monday following an initial report from RMC Sport Combat.
Following a tough two-fight skid that knocked him out of title contention, Dariush bounced back with an impressive win over Renato Moicano in his most recent outing at UFC 317 in June. Prior to his losses to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan in back-to-back fights, Dariush had rattled off eight straight wins with four finishes and four post-fight bonuses along the way.
Now he’ll take on another rising star in Saint Denis as the French lightweight attempts to build on the momentum of his most recent wins in the octagon.
After getting thrust into an unexpected showdown with Dustin Poirier in 2024 that resulted in a Fight of the Night bonus but ultimately a knockout loss, Saint Denis suffered a second straight setback after falling to Moicano in September of that same year.
He got back on track with a submission win over Kyle Prepolec but then dispatched highly touted lightweight prospect Mauricio Ruffy in his most recent performance when the UFC landed in Paris in September.
Now Saint Denis takes on a true veteran in the division with a fight booked against Dariush in November.
UFC 322 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York with a pair of title fights at the top of the card including Jack Della Maddalena defending his welterweight championship against former lightweight king Islam Makhachev while Zhang Weili moves to 125 pounds and attempts to dethrone flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.