Dariush vs. Saint Denis Set for UFC 322 Opener After Weight Miss

Overview

• At official weigh-ins, Beneil Dariush came in at 157.2 pounds—1.2 over the lightweight limit—and will forfeit 20% of his purse as the bout proceeds.
• The lightweight fight opens the UFC 322 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden, with walks expected around 10:10 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and FanDuel lists Saint Denis -194 to Dariush +156.
• Dariush halted a two-fight skid earlier this year with a unanimous-decision win over Renato Moicano at UFC 317.
• Benoit Saint Denis revived his 2025 campaign with second-round finishes of Kyle Prepolec and Mauricio Ruffy, the latter earning a Performance of the Night bonus.
• In media day comments, Dariush said he preached in Abu Dhabi without being in danger and he downplayed earlier card-order changes while welcoming his return to the main card.