Beneil ‘Benny’ Dariush is an Assyrian-American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He was born in Iran, and his family later relocated to the United States in search of better prospects. Beneil fought his way up from poverty to become one of the most feared MMA competitors. He began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2007, and within five years, he had earned a black belt, which was a remarkable achievement. In the interim, he made his MMA debut, and in 2014, he made his first appearance in the UFC ring, which was his ultimate objective. He demonstrated what he was made of in his debut match, winning by submission against Charlie Brenneman. Beneil’s career has since gone through multiple ups and downs, but his reputation as a competitive MMA fighter has stayed unblemished. He got his one and only ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus in his fight against Daron Cruickshank in 2015, and he has been the RITC Lightweight Champion and has successfully defended his belt in previous promotions before the UFC.
Childhood and Adolescence
Beneil Dariush was born in Hamadan, Iran, on May 6, 1989. His Assyrian ancestors were his parents. Their lives in Iran were difficult, and the entire family was forced to relocate to the United States in order to offer a better life for their children. Beneil was nine years old at the time, and he was not looking forward to going to a strange new place.
Beneil grew raised in America with a large joint family, with over twenty cousins and sisters. Beneil’s family was into farming, thus in addition to completing his studies, he assisted his father and uncles with farming, which helped him develop an athletic build early on.
When his family first moved to the United States, none of them spoke English, which isolated them from other children in the neighborhood. Beneil and his sister Beraeil Dariush spent much of their time playing with their relatives, which made Beneil a socially uncomfortable child.
When he was 18 and had mastered the English language, he became interested in martial arts and found a jiu-jitsu gym close to his home. His mother refused to allow him to enroll, so Beneil went on his own. Despite his mother’s protests, he liked what he saw and enrolled in the classes.
Beneil began training in BJJ in October 2007 under Bruno Paulista, just out of high school and looking forward to his college studies. With the help of his coach, Beneil began competing in local jiu-jitsu events, and the trophies began to pile up. Beneil continued his training with Bruno until the tragic event that placed Bruno in the hospital, after which he joined one of the best BJJ academies in the United States. Gracie Barra Northridge is a Gracie Barra franchise.
Career of Beneil
His MMA training began when he was competing in BJJ competitions around the world. In 2009, he won the Pan-American Championship in Blue Belt, and in 2009, 2010, and 2012, he placed second in the World Championships. Needless to say, he grew to national prominence in the sport, but money was tight, so he moved his emphasis to the UFC, a major MMA event, where his professional accomplishments convinced the UFC administration to give Beneil a fair shot in the ring to demonstrate his abilities.
Beneil Dariush, on the other hand, has already competed in MMA battles for other promotions prior to joining the UFC. He was undefeated in all of his fights under the Respect in the Cage, High Fight Rock, and Samurai Pro Sports companies from 2009 until 2013. He won four of those victories in the first round, indicating that he was a force to be reckoned with; all he needed was a bigger stage.
In a January 2013 match, he defeated Trace Gray for the RITC Lightweight Championship, which he successfully defended against Jason Meaders in May 2013. The last fight he had before joining the UFC was this one.
Beneil made his UFC debut on January 15, 2014, and his opponent was supposed to be Jason High, but he pulled out due to illness, therefore Charlie Brenneman was chosen as his replacement. Charlie was making his comeback after a long sabbatical, and he felt weaker in the bout from the start, especially in comparison to the young and enthusiastic Beneil. Beneil won the bout by submission in the first round.
In April 2014, he competed in his second UFC fight against Ramsay Nijem, however he was unable to repeat his remarkable performance, and Ramsay knocked Beneil out in the first round. He learned his lesson not to take any opponent lightly and approached his third fight against Tony Martin on August 23 with caution. In the second round, he defeated his opponent by forcing him to submit.
Beneil fought Carlos Ferreira on his pay per view debut in October 2014 and gave him his first loss of the career, followed by his first ‘Performance of the Night’ award in the next match. He met Daron Cruickshank in the bout and forced him to submit in the second round.
He was involved in a little dispute in August 2015 regarding the conclusion of a fight in which he was paired against Michael Johnson. Beneil was declared the winner by a split decision, although most media sites slammed the decision, claiming that it was unfair to Johnson because he was the better fighter throughout the fight.
Beneil withdrew out of a bout in January 2016 due to an undisclosed injury, and when he returned in April to fight Michael Chiesa, he lost in the second round.
He made up for his defeat against Michael in his following battle against James Vick two months later, knocking him out in the first round to claim the victory. Beneil was on a roll and continued his winning streak in November 2016 when he defeated Rashid Magomedov by unanimous decision. Beneil fought Edson Barboza on March 11, 2017, but was knocked out in the second round. His next bout, and his final for the year, is scheduled for October, when he will face Evan Dunham, a formidable opponent.
Personal Experiences of Beneil
Beneil Dariush has had a close relationship with his mother since he was a toddler. His mother was not ready to see her son fight in a ring when he chose to join MMA, and she almost stopped speaking to him. Only when Beneil’s sister spoke with their mother did she understand and begin to support her son. Beneil enjoys spending time with his family, and when he is not traveling or training for a bout, he spends time with his family and cousins, whom he has known since childhood.
Beneil is also interested in charity activities, having donated a substantial money to the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He also donates money to Assyrians in the Middle East who are needy. They have always been a minority because of their strong Christian faith, which does not sit well with the Muslims of the Middle East.
Estimated Net Worth
Beneil Dariush is said to have a net worth of $1.5 million, which is quite impressive considering his career. Almost everything can be traced back to his exploits in the UFC cage.