Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 49, we are going to see a very fun and intriguing catchweight fight. Lightweights Islam Makhachev (21-1) and Bobby Green (29-12-1) will meet at a catchweight of 160 pounds.
Originally, Makhachev was supposed to face Beneil Dariush in this UFC Vegas 49 main event. However, after Dariush got hurt at the last minute, Bobby Green stepped in on less than two weeks notice which is why the fight will happen at 160 pounds.
Bobby Green comes into this fight on the heels of back-to-back wins. He just fought at UFC 271 where he completely outclassed Nasrat Haqparast. He has nothing to lose tomorrow and he’s ready to shock the world.
However, doing that is not going to be easy. Many are already declaring that Islam Makhachev will be the UFC lightweight champion by the end of the year. The protege and training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov has nearly been perfect in his career.
He comes into this main event on a nine fight win streak. He last fought at UFC 267 where he quickly submitted Dan Hooker. He’s hoping that a win tomorrow night will earn him a shot at the lightweight title.
UFC Vegas 49 Prediction
The path to victory for Islam Makhachev is pretty simple tomorrow at UFC Vegas 49. He needs to use his wrestling to get Green to the ground and control him while he works for submissions and ground strikes.
Makhachev cannot get into a standup fight with Green for his ego. We’ve seen Makhachev lose once in his career and that’s when he was caught on the feet. If he strikes with Bobby Green, he’s going to get hit by Bobby Green.
While not having the most power in the world, Green has tremendous boxing. He ties combinations together and works his straight shots better than just about any lightweight in the UFC. It’s truly special to watch him box.
Green needs to keep the fight standing. If he can somehow keep the fight standing for the majority of three of the five rounds, he could win a decision in this one. However, I don’t think UFC Vegas 49 is going to be the night of a miracle win for Green.
I just think that Makhachev is going to be too much. The superior grappling and control is going to win out here and I see a submission in the middle rounds.
Prediction: Islam Makhachev by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) – Round 3