UFC Fight Night 233: Dariush vs. Tsarukyan Odds, Schedule, Predictions
A key lightweight clash between Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan headlines the latest UFC Fight Night offering from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
Dariush will be looking to get back into the win column after taking a tough loss to Charles Oliveira the last time we saw him. Dariush was on an eight-fight win streak that had him campaigning for a title shot. A win over Oliveria would have likely done it.
Instead, he was knocked out in the first round. Now he draws a tough matchup in Tsarukyan.
The 27-year-old lost his UFC debut against Islam Makhachev back in 2019 and is 7-1 since with the only loss coming against Mateusz Gamrot. In both cases, the losses were given Fight of the Night honors.
The co-main event will also take place at 155 pounds where Jalin Turner gets a crack at Bobby Green. Turner is stepping for Dan Hooker, who suffered a broken arm.
Here's a look at the complete card along with odds for all the action and a closer look at the featured bouts.
- Beneil Dariush (+240) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (-298)
- Bobby Green (+154) vs. Jalin Turner (-185)
- Deiveson Figueiredo (+110) vs. Rob Font (-130)
- Sean Brady (-120) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (+100)
- Clay Guida (+270) vs. Joaquim Silva (-340)
- Punahele Soriano (-345) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+275)
- Julia Avila (-135) vs. Miesha Tate (+114)
- Cody Brundage (+190) vs. Zach Reese (-230)
- Drakkar Klose (-135) vs. Joe Solecki (+114)
- Rodolfo Bellato (-425) vs. Ihor Potieria (+330)
- Jared Gooden (+160) vs. Wellington Turman (-192)
- Veronica Hardy (+160) vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth (-192)
Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
Prelims (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
The betting line on this one doesn't do the matchup justice. Oddsmakers have Dariush as a sizable underdog, but that's a bit harsh considering how good and consistent he has been over the last six years.
Dariush's win streak didn't come against the elite in the division, but lightweight is a stacked weight class and putting together eight wins isn't easy.
The 34-year-old was smoked by Oliveira in his last fight, but Do Bronx is a former champion with an extensive resume of his own.
Tsarukyan brings some good things to the table, but his record is similar to Dariush's at this point. Wins over Matt Frevola and Olivier Aubin-Mercier are nice, but when he has stepped up to the likes of Mateusz Gamrot, he has lost.
Tsarukyan is a strong wrestler and Dariush has some serious grappling chops so this one should get really interesting when it hits the ground.
This might be the performance where Tsarukyan elevates his game and runs through his older opponent. But it could also be the time that he runs into a savvy veteran who is able to do just enough to muddy the waters and take this fight to a decision.
Expect a fun fight between two talented lightweights. Just don't expect an easy night for either guy despite the long odds.
Prediction: Dariush via decision
The co-main event is going to be a fascinating watch.
Bobby Green is on a late-career surge that has his stock as high as its ever been in over a decade with the UFC and Strikeforce. The 37-year-old has back-to-back Performance of the Night awards for a third-round submission over Tony Ferguson and a first-round knockout of Grant Dawson.
Dawson was (and is) a rising talent in the lightweight division who was installed as a major favorite before Green dismantled him in the first round.
Now he draws another young, promising fighter who is a favorite.
Turner is a massive lightweight at 6'3" with a 77" reach. "The Turantula" uses that length well to land his power shots and also wrap up opponents on the ground with chokes.
That might be the direction this one is headed. Turner has been a fast starter. He generally comes out of the gate aggressively and Green should be willing to trade coming off a first-round knockout.
This one should be fast and furious for as long as it lasts. With Turner making a quick cut down to 155 on short notice and Green feeling confident coming off of his back-to-back wins, both fighters could be looking for a short night at the office.
Prediction: Turner via first-round submission
The fact that Deiveson Figueiredo's bantamweight debut isn't the main or co-main event speaks to the depth of this ESPN card.
Figueiredo moves up to the bantamweight division after a brutal four-fight series with Brandon Moreno for flyweight supremacy. Figueiredo rode prodigious power to the top of the division and will now test whether that power can translate at 135 pounds.
He draws 36-year-old Rob Font who has been in the weight class since his UFC debut in 2014. He's never quite reached the level of title challengers, but he's faced a laundry list of strong 135ers with wins against Cody Garbrandt, Marlon Moraes and Thomas Almeida highlighting the resume.
Font is a strong kickboxer who is good at managing distance. Figueiredo doesn't have much experience as the smaller fighter and was able to bully a lot of his opponents at 125 pounds. At bantamweight, those advantages are going to be smaller.
It's something that he'll have to figure out if he wants to make a run at the championship in his new weight class. If Font were a few years younger, he might be in position to get the upset.
However, he's just 1-4 in his last five fights so it's hard to pick him here.
Prediction: Figueiredo via decision
Gambling Problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.
