Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan headline UFC on ESPN 52 when the organization returns to Austin at the start of December. Tsarukyan (-260) is favored to win the Lightweight contest. But Dariush (+220) will have other ideas as he seeks to come back from one of the most devastating losses of his career. Here, we look ahead to the bout and name the winner in our latest UFC betting picks.
Also scheduled to be on the card was a five-round lightweight bout between Bobby Green and Dan Hooker. However, Hooker has just had to pull out of the fight injured. As things stand, the UFC is trying to find a replacement. But with or without the fight, the main card is still up to its usual high standards.
Also fighting on the undercard are Rob Font (-141) and Deiveson Figueiredo (+121) in a Bantamweight bout. They are joined on the card by Sean Brady (-128), who is taking on Kelvin Gastelum (+108) in a Welterweight showdown. The final two fights on the main card are Punahele Soriano (-250) vs Dustin Stoltzfus (+210) and Khalil Rountree Jr (+170) vs Azamat Murzakanov (-200).
Below, we have put together an odds table with betting options for all the fights on the main card. The odds we have used are from the best UFC betting sites.
| Main Card Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneil Dariush | +220 | +220 | +220 |
| Arman Tsarukyan | -260 | -260 | -260 |
| Rob Font | -141 | -141 | -141 |
| Deiveson Figueiredo | +121 | +121 | +121 |
| Sean Brady | -128 | -128 | -128 |
| Kelvin Gastelum | +108 | +108 | +108 |
| Punahele Soriano | -250 | -250 | -250 |
| Dustin Stoltzfus | +210 | +210 | +210 |
| Khalil Rountree Jr | +170 | +170 | +170 |
| Azamat Murzakanov | -200 | -200 | -200 |
Before we get onto the main event between Dariush and Tsarukyan, a quick reminder that UFC 296 is fast approaching. The show is on December 16th, with Leon Edwards (-125) taking on Colby Covington (+105). As you can see from the latest UFC Vegas betting odds, the sportsbooks expect a close contest, which means we could be in for a great night’s entertainment.
Beneil Dariush is a 34-year-old experienced fighter with a mixed martial arts record of 22-5-1. In his last fight, Dariush suffered his first defeat in the organization since 2018 when he got knocked out by Charles Oliveira in the first round of their clash at UFC 289.
Before that loss, Dariush had steadily climbed the UFC rankings, winning eight successive fights to set up the Oliveria clash. That was the biggest fight of Dariush’s career in the UFC. So to lose it in such a convincing fashion would have been a huge blow.
Breaking down the record of Beneil Dariush shows us that nine of his 22 wins have come by decision. He has won eight by submission and five by knockout. Of his five defeats, four were by knockout and one by submission.
Arman Tsarukyan has an MMA record of 20-3-0. The 27-year-old has fought nine times in the UFC, winning seven and losing two. His two defeats came at the hands of Islam Makhachev in April 2019 and against Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022. Both defeats were unanimous decisions, and both won the Fight of the Night awards.
Since the loss to Gamrot, Tsarukyan has won two successive fights. In December 2022, he defeated Damir Ismagulov by unanimous decision. And in June of this year, he defeated Joaquim Silva by TKO.
Of his 20 wins in MMA, eight were by knockout, seven by decision, and five by submission. Of his three defeats, one was by knockout, and the other two, by decision.
Arman Tsarukyan goes into the bout as the -260 favorite to win by any method on the money line. Beneil Dariush is priced at +220 to bounce back from his defeat to Oliveira with a win.
The biggest criticism leveled at Dariush is that he hasn’t beaten any top-ranked fighters except Tony Ferguson. But even that win has been dismissed by many, as it was the third defeat in a losing streak of six that the veteran fighter is currently on.
Arman Tsarukyan is the favorite in the betting for a good reason. In his short time in the UFC, he has been impressive. And this includes his two defeats, where he pushed his better-known opponents close on both occasions. Tsarukyan is a rising name in the UFC.
At the moment, the jury still seems to be out on Beneil Dariush. This is his chance to prove the doubters wrong and put the Oliveira defeat behind him. It’s also his chance to prove to the UFC that he is worthy of a title shot after he went on one of the longest winning streaks within the organization without getting an undisputed title shot.
For our pick to win, we’re going with Arman Tsarukyan. He seems like the fighter heading in the right direction in the UFC. On the flip side, it would appear that Dariush badly needs the win to salvage his career in the short term.
If you believe Dariush will cause an upset. It might be worth backing him to win by decision in the method of victory betting. We’re going for Arman Tsarukyan to win by KO/TKO/DQ for our pick. He will have seen what Charles Oliveira did to Dariush, and he has also won three of his last five fights by this method.
See below the best Las Vegas sportsbooks, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
