Daron Cruickshank vs. Beneil Dariush lightweight bout added to UFC 185 in Dallas
The lineup for the UFC’s return to Dallas continues to grow with the addition of a lightweight scrap.
Daron Cruickshank (16-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) will meet Beneil Dariush (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 185 in March. UFC officials announced the new bout today.
Featuring a lightweight title fight between champ Anthony Pettis and challenger Rafael dos Anjos, UFC 185 takes place on March 14 at Dallas’ American Airlines Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Cruickshank was in a “Fight of the Night” candidate against K.J. Noons at the TUF 20 Finale. Then he got poked in the eye in the second round and was unable to continue, leaving the bout a no-contest. That came on the heels of a decision win over Anthony Njokuani.
Dariush has won back-to-back fights following the first loss of his pro career nine months ago. Dariush made a short-notice UFC debut a year ago Wednesday and submitted Charlie Brenneman in the first round at UFC Fight Night 35. But three months later, he was stopped by Ramsey Nijem in Abu Dhabi. Since then, though, he has a submission win over Tony Martin and a decision win over Carlos Diego Ferreira.
With the addition to the card, UFC 185 now includes:
- Champ Anthony Pettis vs. Rafael dos Anjos – for UFC lightweight title
- Champ Carla Esparza vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk – for UFC strawweight title
- Roy Nelson vs. Alistair Overeem
- Matt Brown vs. Johny Hendricks
- Chris Cariaso vs. Henry Cejudo
- Ross Pearson vs. Sam Stout
- Ryan Benoit vs. Sergio Pettis
- Roger Narvaez vs. Elias Theodorou
- Daron Cruickshank vs. Beneil Dariush
For more on UFC 185, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
Source: MMAJunkie.com
