Medical suspension or not, UFC Fight Night 98 winner Beneil Dariush now focused on teammates

MEXICO CITY – Beneil Dariush picked up a big win over Rashid Magomedov at UFC Fight Night 98. Now, he’s ready to devote himself to helping his teammates follow suit.

Dariush (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) became the first man to top Magomedov (19-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in the UFC octagon. The lightweight bout was part of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 98 main card at Mexico City Arena in Mexico. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Following his victory, Dariush told MMAjunkie he has tremendous respect for Magomedov.

“Every win is the biggest win of my life,” Dariush said. “I was very blessed today to walk out of there victorious. You guys saw, this guy is so tough. I feel like I hit him with everything I had, and he stood right in front of me, so I have a lot of respect for my opponent.”

Dariush, who entered the bout in the No. 10 spot in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, now has back-to-back wins since an April loss to Michael Chiesa. With the Magomedov in the rearview mirrow, he said he’s ready to start helping his teammates get ready for their own bouts.

He’ll do that, he said, even if it means playing a little fast and loose with his 30-day medical suspension.

“So, I have a 30-day suspension before I can start training,” Dariush said. “Obviously, we’ll probably make it back to training a little bit faster than that. Like I said earlier, my team is a family, and I have my brother Jon Tuck fighting. Marvin Vettori is fighting. Jake Ellenberger, Fabricio Werdum – they’re all fighting, and I want to be there for them.

“At this point, I’m not thinking about my fight. I’m thinking about their fight. I want to be there to help them as much as I can. I’ll be headed to Australia next with Jon Tuck.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Events section of the site.