2023 has been a tough year for Beneel Dariush.
The No. 7-ranked lightweight has yet to compete in 2024 after losing consecutive bouts to Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan after an eight-fight win streak in one of the organization's deepest weight classes.
This is due to a lingering knee problem.
“I think it started around March, before the summer. Then in April I started to feel really good. Then my knee started to hurt, it felt weird at first. It hurt a little bit. Then my knee started to get stiff. I had a torn meniscus for a long time and it was fine,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “I was able to train and do whatever I wanted to do. So I basically thought it was a meniscus problem and went back to the hospital. I tried some physical therapy and it got a lot better. I tried PRP and all that stuff and I was able to train to some extent, but if I lift my knee or train a lot it gets stiff. Even if it's not during training, it gets stiff after training when all the muscles are loose. So I'm still having some issues and it's stressful.”
Perhaps that's why Dan Hooker recovered from that brutal goal.
“It's not an ideal situation to come into camp like this,” Dariush continued, “so I'm trying to get an appointment with the doctor to see what they can do. Because I was told if they just need to scrape it down, it'll be done quickly. I'll be back to training right away, which would be ideal, but it depends on how bad the tear is. Not all tears are the same. If it's not an ideal tear, it's going to have to be repaired, which would put me about six months out. So I'm going to forego the repair and maybe just remove the meniscus, which will cause issues later, but at least I'll be fully healed and ready to play sooner.”
Preferably somewhere with low taxes.
“If they can get me an endoscopy, I can be back training within two weeks and hopefully by the end of the year. That's it, really,” Dariush said. “We need to make sure the damage, the tear in the meniscus is bad enough to undergo what's called a dermabrasion. The surgery involves scraping the meniscus, which is possible, but if it has to be sutured, then that's something I'll have to think about. Should I train the leg like I'm doing now and go compete? That's my policy. Or, the final option is to remove that part.”
Dariush (22-6-1) turned 35 in May.
