UFC Fight Night 98 results: Beneil Dariush gets unanimous nod to hand Rashid Magomedov first UFC loss

MEXICO CITY – Beneil Dariush figured he wouldn’t wait until Rashid Magomedov found his rhythm.

By the time Magomedov (19-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) did, Dariush (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) was way ahead on scorecards, having used the clinch as the foundation for a decision win.

The lightweight bout was part of the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 98 event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Dariush, the No. 10-ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, handed honorable mention Magomedov his first UFC loss, which also happened to snap a six-year unbeaten streak including four straight octagon wins.

Pressure was Dariush’s strategy from the outset, as he peppered Magomedov with kicks to the head, body and legs. When Magomedov tried to retake control in the clinch, Dariush responded with a muay Thai plumb he used to control the Dagestan native.

It was a move he’d frequently deploy between kicking exchanges. Rather than break the hold, Magomedov chose to hang out in the position and dirty box while trying to contain the inevitable knees that came his way. Dariush never managed to land a fight-altering blow, but the slow grind of shots made it clear who was in control of the fight.

In the final frame, Magomedov came out striking and went kick-for-kick with Dariush. Inevitably, though, the action went to the fence, where Dariush reversed and held the plumb as his opponent tried to strike.

A separation from ref Herb Dean led to Magomedov’s best work, as he scored in late-round combinations. He ran out of time before being able to pull off a complete shift in momentum.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 98 results include:

• Beneil Dariush def. Rashid Magomedov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Alexa Grasso def. Heather Jo Clark via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Erik Perez def. Felipe Arantes via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Joe Soto def. Marco Beltran via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:37
• Max Griffin def. Erick Montano via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:54
• Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Henry Briones via TKO (spinning backfist) – Round 3, 2:33
• Sam Alvey def. Alex Nicholson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Marco Polo Reyes def. Jason Novelli via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Enrique Barzola def. Chris Avila via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

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

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan and Fernanda Prates contributed to this report on site in Mexico City.)