Beneil Dariush

Beneil Dariush is ranked #14 at UFC lightweight — close enough to smell the title, dangerous enough that champions don't say his name too loudly.

A balanced operator — 5 wins by KO, 8 by submission, 10 on the scorecards. No single weapon to game-plan around, which is exactly the problem. Add the southpaw stance, and the puzzle gets harder still.

He's coming off a loss to Quillan Salkilld. Careers aren't defined by the fall, though; they're defined by the rebound.

At 37, the window is what it is — which tends to make every remaining fight more honest, and more dangerous.