Last weekend at UFC 271, Bobby Green (29-12-1) put on a helluva performance against Nasrat Haqparast. Green put on a boxing clinic as he boxed in Haqparast’s face from the opening bell to the final bell on his way to winning a very lopsided decision win.
After the fight, many were saying that the UFC needed to give him a main event opportunity. In fact, I was going to write an article that was due to come out tomorrow that would talk about Green being in a main event. Well, it looks like his headlining opportunity is going to come sooner than later.
Earlier tonight, Ariel Helwani reported that Beneil Dariush had injured his ankle and was out of the UFC Vegas 49 main event. The promotion called up Bobby Green to see if he would be interested in taking on Islam Makhachev (21-1). Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, both Green and Makhachev have agreed to the new UFC Vegas 49 main event.
UFC Vegas 49
Okamoto said that the deal isn’t 100% finalized yet and it would likely have to take place at a catch weight considering the fact that Green just fought a few days ago at 155 pounds. This is a massive opportunity for Bobby Green but he’s going to be a massive underdog in next week’s headliner.
That said, if Green could pull off the unthinkable at UFC Vegas 49, suddenly he’s amongst the top ranked lightweights in the promotion. Factor that in with his personality and things just became incredibly intriguing for Bobby Green. Again, it’s going to be a very steep hill to climb next weekend.
Many believe that Islam Makhachev will be the UFC lightweight champion by the end of the year. Makhachev is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protege and many believe he is the second coming of the former lightweight king. For Makhachev, this matchup with Green is going to be a dangerous one.
Bobby Green’s hands are incredible and Islam cannot become too proud next weekend. The game plan at UFC Vegas 49 is going to be clear and that will be to take down and smash. I can’t wait for this one.