After a challenging year in 2023 that included multiple knockouts and knockdowns, MMA fighter Beneil Dariush resumed sparring in March following a significant break from hard gym sessions, according to his coach Rafael Cordeiro.
Beneil Dariush? Yeah, he’s back in the ring. After a pretty long break from the intense gym sessions, he started sparring again in March. That’s what Rafael Cordeiro, the coach at Kings MMA, spilled on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast.
Dariush’s winning streak? Snapped. Eight fights, all wins, then bam! Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan in 2023, both stoppages due to strikes. After that, Cordeiro suggested the 34-year-old lightweight take a breather. And it wasn’t the first time Dariush had to deal with head trauma in 2023, mind you.
“Benny’s year? Rough, to say the least,” Cordeiro confessed. “Two knockouts, three knockdowns. Twice knocked down and once knocked out in the gym, then Charles TKO’d him. Arman was next, another knockout. Five times in the year, his head got a beating. He’s still a young kid, so I asked him to take some time off.”
Before this tough phase, Dariush had a pretty solid record. Out of his 27 MMA bouts since 2009, he only lost four. Michael Chiesa got him with a rear-naked choke, while Ramsey Nijem, Edson Barboza, and Alexander Hernandez won by knockout or TKO.
Cordeiro insists Dariush isn’t in a rush. He’s financially secure and doesn’t need to hurry back into the octagon. But when the time’s right, he’ll be ready. Dariush is back to sparring in California and feeling on top of the world, according to the Kings MMA founder.
“I’m not just his coach, I’m like a father to him,” Cordeiro admitted. “I don’t want to push him too hard right now. Benny’s record? Eight wins, two losses in his last ten fights. Some folks want him to retire. That’s just ridiculous. It’s a slap in the face to his journey. But we don’t listen to the noise. We focus on his health.”
“We’ll see what fights make sense for him once he’s physically recovered,” Cordeiro continued. “I’m not talking about his confidence. He’s got that. It’s more of a neurological thing. I want him to take it seriously because he took quite a few hits.”