Beneil Dariush is looking like a force to be reckoned with in the UFC's lightweight division. The No. 14-ranked lightweight earned his fifth consecutive win on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik and, perhaps more impressively, did so in convincing fashion.
Facing the tough-as-nails Scott Holtzman, the match got off to a weird start. Holtzman inadvertently poked Dariush in the eye, which was followed by a glancing low blow by Dariush. When the action resumed, Holtzman again caught Dariush's eye with a pinky.
Following the inadvertent fouls, the action picked up. Dariush drilled Holtzman with a powerful knee that almost ended the fight but Holtzman, who had never been finished in a fight prior to Saturday, recovered. Dariush gave his opponent little time to collect his thoughts and continued to press him.
In the final minute of the round, Dariush threw a spinning back fist. His foreman connect flush with Holtzman and sent him to the canvas. Referee Herb Dean immediately called the fight at 4:38 of round one.
It was an impressive win for the No. 14-ranked Dariush, who unfortunately missed weight for the bout at 158 pounds. He showed tremendous class afterwards, urging Dana White to give any fight bonus to Holtzman due to the missed weight cut (he didn't get a Performance of the Night bonus).
Perhaps more important than the money, Dariush is looking more and more like a dangerous contender in the UFC lightweight division. Not only was it his fifth straight win, but it was his fourth finish in a row, second by knockout. Dariush did not call out anyone in particular in his post-fight interview.