The main event on ESPN features an important lightweight bout between veteran southpaw Beneil Dariush and noted prospect Arman Tsarukyan.
Despite growing up wrestling and playing hockey, Tsarukyan displays a natural aptitude for the striking side of the sport.
The Armenian fighter has shown to strike well in combination, often punctuating his presence with hard kicks from his lead side. Tsarukyan also does a solid job of changing his levels, which helps make him a harder target to get a beat on.
However, when facing fighters in open-stance affairs, Tsarukyan tends to set up a lot more power shots traditionally from the rear.
🧵 #TheSouthpawReport for #UFCAustin:
Arman Tsarukyan, who faces Beneil Dariush, is 1-1 opposite UFC-level lefties (W: OAM; L: Makhachev)
He shows lead-foot awareness/actually uses lead hand to prod and counter southpaws but mainly looks to set up power shots from the open side pic.twitter.com/H9o4F3QpcB
— Dan Tom (@DanTomMMA) November 29, 2023
Tsarukyan shows all the standard approaches when it comes to striking with southpaws, whether we’re talking about outside-foot awareness or a prodding lead hand. And when the Armenian fighter is feeling in stride, he’ll use his power from the rear to either get back to left-sided punctuations or set up safer penetration steps for offensive takedowns.
That said, Tsarukyan is not beyond dipping to a southpaw’s power side, so he’ll need to be on his best behavior against Dariush.
A Study of Beneil Dariush last 3 fights.
Not the Tony Ferguson fight for obvious reasons
Thread 🧵🪡
(1/16) pic.twitter.com/VKIeYGQ58Y
— 9h6st21 (@9h6st21) November 29, 2023
Coming into MMA as an accomplished grappler, Dariush has steadily rounded out his skills under the tutelage of Rafael Cordeiro. Initially more of a stick-and-move stylist, the Iranian has developed a taste for pressure-fighting, getting more and more comfortable moving forward.
Prodding with right-handed jabs to measure his target, Dariush usually favors unleashing left crosses or kicks to follow. Armed with a baseball bat for his left leg, Dariush keeps Thai kicks chambered, utilizing them at range or attaching them at the end of combinations.
Dariush has also gotten a lot better at working front kicks and knee change-ups into his kicking repertoire, finding some surprising success with the latter.
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie