Beneil Dariush may have never been on his current winning streak.
Dariush made it seven wins in a row following a unanimous decision victory over Tony Ferguson in the UFC 262 co-headliner this past weekend.
It was undoubtedly the biggest win of his career as it saw him move up to number four in the lightweight rankings with Dariush even believing a title shot is possible for his next fight.
What makes his current run even more impressive is the fact that he was even considering retiring before embarking on it.
Neck Problems Almost Forced Dariush To Call It A Day
When asked if anything changed for him that led to his winning streak, Dariush revealed being healthy was a major factor as neck problems almost forced him to retire from the sport.
He was also notably winless in three fights at the time.
“I think one of the things is getting healthy, I had a lot of injuries that I just thought was normal,” Dariush told Jimmy Smith in a recent interview. “One of the things was my neck. I didn’t realize how bad it was until after the [Alexander] Hernandez fight, until we started going to a lot of doctors. I was on the verge of retiring, actually. Can you imagine that? This whole streak would have never happened.
“I almost retired because I thought my neck’s done, I can’t do much and surgery was the option that they were giving me at that time and I thought to myself, ‘man, I don’t want to have surgery. I know what happens when fighters get surgeries on their neck — they’re never the same.’ So we jumped into physical therapy so that’s been one of the key things that’s been really helpful. Another thing is I’ve come to understand that this is what God made me for. … If I was to even a little bit not to do what I should with the talents he’s given me, I’m disrespecting my creator. … I will leave no stone unturned to be the best because if not, I’m squandering my gifts.”
📽️ "I was on the verge of retiring actually. Can you imagine that? This whole streak would have never happened."@beneildariush shared with @jimmysmithmma on Unlocking The Cage how he went from nearly retiring from MMA to winning his 7th fight in a row at #UFC262 👊 pic.twitter.com/6d6UI7HBLX
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) May 18, 2021
The physical therapy and newfound belief in his abilities have certainly done wonders for Dariush as a win or two could see him potentially become the new lightweight champion.
