Report: Beneil Dariush vs. Islam Makhachev to headline UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 26

Two of the hottest lightweight fighters in the world today will collide in a main event early next year as Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev are expected to headline a UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 26.

This is according to a recent report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. The lightweight bout will be contested over five rounds and serve as the main event for the upcoming UFC Fight Night card this February. No other details have been shared at this time.

Dariush, 32, has quietly been destroying the competition at 155 pounds since getting upset by Alexander Hernandez back in 2018. The veteran contender has now won his last seven trips to the Octagon, including recent victories over Tony Ferguson, Carlos Diego Ferreira, and Scott Holtzman. Dariush has never looked better and has the grappling chops to thwart some of Makhachev’s wrestling attacks. It’s an interesting matchup to say the least and one that could launch Dariush into a title shot if he pulls off a decisive performance.

Makhachev, 30, has been an unstoppable force since getting finished by Adriano Martins in his only loss six years ago. The Russian contender has racked off nine-straight wins inside of the Octagon and has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The only thing left for Makhachev to do is to win the title. A victory over Dariush will surely earn him the next shot at UFC gold, especially since Justin Gaethje just stole it away with his UFC 268 performance.

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