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          Dariush misses weight, fined ahead of UFC 322 bout vs. Saint Denis

          • Brett OkamotoNov 14, 2025, 12:02 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Beneil Dariush will forfeit 20% of his purse at UFC 322, after the lightweight veteran missed weight by 1.2. pounds Friday.

          Dariush (23-6-1) weighed in at 157.2 pounds for his nontitle bout against Benoit Saint Denis (15-3) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The limit for a nontitle lightweight contest is 156 pounds.

          The fight will still go on as planned on the UFC 322 main card. The exact amount of Dariush's fine is concealed, as fighter purses are not public record in the state of New York. It's the second time Dariush has missed weight in his career. The first occurred in 2020.

          Former lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (27-1) weighed 170 pounds for this welterweight title fight against Jack Della Maddalena (18-2). Makhachev is moving up in weight for the first time in his UFC career, in an attempt to become the promotion's latest two-weight champion.

          Former strawweight champion Zhang Weili (26-3) will try to accomplish the same feat on the women's side, as she moves up to face flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (25-4-1). Zhang and Shevchenko both weighed 124.6 pounds for their 125-pound title fight.