Video | Beneil Dariush brought to tears when receiving UFC comeback of 2020 award

Rising lightweight contender Beneil Dariush provided MMA fans with one of the craziest moments of 2020 in his win over Drakkar Klose at UFC 248.

The second-round knockout finish came in an exciting enough fashion to earn the Kings MMA product the UFC’s comeback of the year honors.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1357463951366307841?s=20

“Comeback of the year for 2020…” Dariush read. “So… I’m gonna need a second. For this fight… We thought we were pregnant, and I hurt my knee. I had a torn MCL. It was two weeks before the fight. Everybody was telling me, ‘Hey, just think about it, be smart. Maybe it’s not meant to be this time.’ And all I could think about was my baby. That’s why this came the way it did.

“The gameplan for the fight was takedown, control, and just go like that. But somewhere along the way, I had to change gameplans when I started getting hit and got hurt. I think the thing that carried me through was knowing I could provide for my baby so I’m gonna think of that every time I see this.”

Currently 19-4-1 in his MMA career overall, the Iranian-born Assyrian in Dariush made his UFC debut when he was 6-0 in 2014. Known for his strong grappling abilities as a BJJ blackbelt under Rômulo Barral and Bruno “Mamute” Paulista, Dariush’s first three out of four UFC wins came by submission.

The grappling ace started showing the world his lethal striking improvements at UFC 199 in 2016 when handing the undefeated James Vick his first career loss. The 31-year-old hit a brief rough patch after the win as he went 1-2-1. However, “Benny” has looked better than ever in his last five outings.

Dariush rides a wildly entertaining five-fight unbeaten streak heading into UFC Vegas 18 this Saturday for his rematch with Carlos Diego Ferreira. Of those five wins, Dariush has scored two knockouts with just as many submissions — three of which earned him Performance of the Night bonuses.