The UFC is all set to visit Perth for the fifth time in the promotion’s history, and a prominent fighter has just sparked a massive concern. Just 48 hours before the event, a main card attraction has revealed a recurring injury that may actually cost him the fight big time at RAC Arena.

In a recent interview, veteran star Beneil Dariush revealed that he’s been suffering from a recurring swollen eye injury. The lightweight contender expressed feeling stressed about the issue, as it kept happening during the training camp, the latest being a fingernail to the already swollen area.

“Yeah, and it keeps happening,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “It happened, I think was Saturday. I don’t know if it was a bumped head or like I got hit in the side of the eye, and I’ve been kind of stressing out about it, and then last night I’m training, and I get a fingernail right here to the side of it, and it swelled up.”

‘Benny’ is definitely not a stranger to dealing with injuries before a fight. In 2022, the Assyrian native suffered a really bad ankle injury that forced him to withdraw from a matchup against Islam Makhachev. While training for the Dagestani, Dariush’s foot got caught in the mat, causing a broken fibula.

That injury sidelined the 36-year-old for quite a while. After two years, Dariush sustained a meniscus tear after losing to Arman Tsarukyan in 2023. That injury again took the entirety of 2024 away from Dariush until he made a solid comeback against Renato Moicano at UFC 317 last year.

So, as we could see, Dariush has dealt with multiple injuries during his UFC career and made comebacks from them. But an eye injury before an event can be detrimental, especially if it keeps happening. For instance, Darren Till opened up about getting eye-poked ahead of his UFC 282 fight with Dricus du Plessis, which seriously affected his eyesight while preparing.

With that in mind, the natural question becomes: How serious is Dariush’s condition?

“So, they’re minor things, not a big deal, but it is what it is,” Dariush added in the same interview. “It freaking keeps happening.”

Now, even as Dariush is positive that his injury is minor, it might still affect his chances against an already heavy favorite, Quillan Salkilld. But the UFC veteran has assured everyone that he shouldn’t be underestimated against the dangerous Aussie. 

Beneil Dariush opens up as a massive underdog at UFC Perth 

Quillan Salkilld is 4-0 in the UFC after his Contender Series win. Three of those wins were first-round finishes. Meanwhile, Dariush has lost three of his last four via first-round finishes. The math here is as easy as it gets. Salkilld is coming for Dariush’s lightweight ranking. Does ‘Benny’ have it in him to keep his #12 spot and spoil the young gun’s second homecoming of the year?

Once, fans considered Beneil Dariush to be a serious contender for UFC gold, and some thought he might even win it. Khabib Nurmagomedov rated him so highly that he wanted Islam Makhachev to fight him at some point. But the Assyrian spoiled his chances after back-to-back losses against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan. Though they weren’t bad losses to have, the fact that he suffered first-round defeats in both made fans question his durability.

He did come back against Renato Moicano last year, but dropped another fight in the first round against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 322. Because of that, oddsmakers have placed Dariush as a massive +350 underdog against Quillan Salkilld, who has stormed into the UFC with four straight wins. Even so, ‘Benny’ believes his experience will be key in tackling the threat the Western Australia native presents in the Octagon.

“It’s not new to me, so it is fine,” Dariush told BJPENN.com. “I plan on going out there and doing what I always have done. Underestimating me, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. If that’s how people are looking at it, we will see how it goes… Experience is important, but skill is what ultimately determines the fight.”

As Dariush aims for a positive ending at UFC Perth, do you believe he can actually pose a threat and hand Quillan Salkilld his first UFC loss on home turf?