Beneil Dariush and 4 UFC Fighters Who Have Recently Made Their Presence Felt
The UFC has had a fast start to 2015. Quality event after quality event has given the fans the best MMA action on the planet and several exciting bouts to remember.
In all of the early hoopla, there have been several fighters who have jumped onto the scene with an impact. The new blood only helps strengthen the roster from top to bottom and offers fans more fights to get excited about in the future.
Who are some of those fighters? That is what we are here to look at.
These are five standouts from the early goings of 2015.
Paul Felder
1 of 5
Felder made his Octagon debut in October 2014 with a split-decision win over Jason Saggo. It moved his record to a perfect 9-0. At UFC 182, Felder drew Danny Castillo.
Felder ended the fight with a spinning-back-fist knockout. The extraordinary KO instantly put him on the map, and doing it over a quality opponent only helped strengthen his standing in the division. At 10-0, Felder will quickly be a factor in the lightweight division.
He has left an impression on the division, and the UFC will oblige him with bigger fights.
The UFC has a potential top-15 fighter on its hands. He gets a chance to prove it in April against Jim Miller.
Marion Reneau
2 of 5
The 135-pound women's division needs more depth, and Reneau's inclusion came at the right time. She debuted against Alexis Dufresne and picked up a unanimous-decision victory. It was not a great fight, but she got the W.
Her second fight in the UFC came just over a month later in February. She submitted Jessica Andrade with a triangle choke and shocked the Brazilian crowd.
Reneau has gotten to showcase both her striking and ground work. Just how good is she? We won't know until she tests herself against the upper echelon, but you can best bet that is just around the corner.
At 37 years of age, she won't have much time left in the sport, but she has certainly made waves in just her two months in the organization. If she can pick up another victory, she will find herself in title contention.
Mirsad Bektic
3 of 5
Let's go to the featherweight division to look at the undefeated Bektic.
He debuted last April with a majority decision over Chas Skelly. It took nine months to get him back in the cage, but when he did, it was another quality performance. Bektic defeated Paul Redmond by unanimous decision.
Breaking into title contention will prove difficult in the shark-infested waters of the division, but the UFC loves undefeated records. He does not have a fight booked just yet, but it will almost assuredly be a bigger name than his last two opponents.
Bektic has shown the skills that he is a legitimate prospect at just 24 years old. The future looks bright, but expect to see him test the deep end of the pool sooner than later.
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Beneil Dariush
4 of 5
Speaking of fighters who will test the deep end of the talent pool, Dariush will soon make that jump also.
In just over a year with the UFC, Dariush has already fought five times inside the cage. He debuted with a 6-0 record and submitted Charlie Brenneman in just one minute, 45 seconds of action. His stock fell when he dropped his next bout to Ramsey Nijem.
Dariush got a win over Tony Martin and then stunned fans with an upset over the rising Brazilian Carlos Diego Ferreira. At UFC 185, Dariush was pitted against the talented striker Daron Cruickshank and completely outclassed him.
Dariush's improved striking coupled with his outstanding ground game make him a threat against anyone at 155 pounds. He has made a quiet ascent up the lightweight ladder.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk
5 of 5
No fighter has stood out as much as Jedrzejczyk in the past year.
Jedrzejczyk made her UFC and strawweight debut last July with an impressive showcase of her striking. She defeated Juliana Lima to move to 7-0 in her MMA career.
The former muay thai champion was still largely an unknown commodity. She made a quick impression. Having drawn Claudia Gadelha in a title eliminator, however, most felt she would be defeated. That was not the case.
In a tightly contested fight, Jedrzejczyk did enough to earn two of the three scorecards. The title fight was hers.
Those same thoughts of being taken down and beaten on came back for the Carla Esparza title fight. Jedrzejczyk was the underdog in spite of what she had shown inside the cage to that point. She never acted like the underdog. In all media leading to UFC 185, Jedrzejczyk shined. She showed her charisma to the cameras and talked trash to the champion who had little to no response.
When fight night came, Jedrzejczyk jumped off the page. She blasted Esparza with an array of strikes while defending nearly every takedown. Eventually, the referee had to save Esparza, and we got a brand-new world champion.
In less than a year, Jedrzejczyk has gone from obscure striker to world champion. Her personality has endeared her to fans and media alike. If her strong performances continue, the UFC has a potential global star on its hands.
No one has done better for his or her career in the past eight months.
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