On Saturday night, we will see a catchweight showdown between lightweight contenders in the headliner of UFC Vegas 49. However, it’s not the matchup that we were originally supposed to see and the new man who has stepped into the spotlight of this main event spot is one we never would’ve suspected.
“King” Bobby Green (29-12-1) is a true veteran of the game. The UFC lightweight contender came to the promotion after they acquired Strikeforce which is where Green really started to show off what he could do in the cage. He made his UFC debut in 2013 and made an immediate impact.
Green started out 4-0 which included wins over Josh Thomson and James Krause. Those wins earned him a shot against Edson Barboza who was rising up at the time. Green lost that fight and then fought Dustin Poirier after where he suffered another defeat.
Things got rocky for Green in the UFC as he went just 1-5-1 over the course of seven fights. This stretch had him contemplating the end of his fighting career. However, something inside told him to keep fighting and then he turned everything around.
UFC Comeback Story
In 2020, Green returned with a vengeance and proceeded to win three straight fights that earned him a fight with ranked contender Thiago Moises. He lost that fight and then fought Rafael Fiziev who will be fighting Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 272 next week.
After those two defeats, Green got right back after it and took a fight against Al Iaquinta at UFC 268. Green made a massive statement when he knocked out “Raging” Al in the first round. He then took on the tough Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 just a couple of weeks ago and completely dominated the fight.
Beneil Dariush was set to headline UFC Vegas 49 against Islam Makhachev (21-1). This was being looked at as a potential title eliminator and people were really interested to see how Makhachev would do against a wrestler/grappler like Dariush.
Well, Dariush ended up hurting his ankle and the UFC needed a replacement. That’s when Bobby Green stepped in. Green is stepping in on short-notice against the guy who many believe is going to be the lightweight champion by the end of 2022.
You know who doesn’t care about the hype? Bobby Green and he doesn’t care that nobody is picking him at UFC Vegas 49. Green is insanely dangerous because he has nothing to lose here and he can go in as loose as possible. If he loses, well, nobody expected him to well.
However, if he wins, his world changes. Immediately, Green becomes a top contender in the UFC’s lightweight division and given his personality and fighting style, you will be getting more headlining fights with the king Bobby Green. It’s a tremendous story and it’ll be interesting to see how it all unfolds.