UFC Fight Night 202 Preview
The UFC is heading back to Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 202 and the main event will be a showdown between veteran Bobby Green and lightweight title contender Islam Makhachev.
Green is stepping in on 10 days’ notice to replace #3 ranked Beneil Dariush who withdrew from the fight due to an injury. As a result of Green stepping in on short notice, Saturday’s main event will be fought at a catchweight of 160 pounds. The fight between Dariush and Makhachev was considered by many to be a title eliminator fight with the winner being the next challenge for the belt. The title will be on the line next at UFC 274 in May between champion Charles Oliveira and #1 contender Justin Gaethje.
A win for Makhachev would still put him in prime position to challenge for a title, but a win for Green would turn the lightweight division upside down. Green is on a two-fight winning streak having last defeated Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 earlier this month. The 35-year-old is 5-2 since June of 2020 and has been one of the busiest fighters in the UFC. Green is flashy in and out of the ring and is not shy about his desire to fight and put on a show for the fans.
Green made his UFC debut in 2013 and started 4-0 in the organization. Over his next seven fights he was inconsistent but had shining moments in many of them. The fighter otherwise known as “King” has found new life as of late in arguably, the UFC’s toughest division.
Green is confident heading into the fight and thinks he can play spoiler to Mackhachev’s title hopes. “I’ve got a long test ahead of me with these boring guys,” Green said. “And I told Jason House, (Green’s manager) that too. I’m like, ‘Jason, this guys is f*cking boring. What am I gonna do with this guy?’ So that’s the real test, making somebody boring, exciting. How can I do that? Can I do that? Can I pull that one out of my ass? I think I can do it...
“It’s gonna be fun. That’s all I want to do is make sure it’s fun.”
Aside from Hasqparast, Green has key victories in his career over Al Iaquinta, Lando Vannata, Clay Guida, Josh Thomson and James Krause. A win over a fighter with all the hype that Makhachev brings would be the biggest of his career and would set him up nicely to fight another ranked lightweight contender.
Makhachev has won nine straight fights and most recently defeated Dan Hooker by submission at UFC 267 in October. He is a protégé to Khabib Nurmagomedov and uses the same style of fighting to defeat his opponents as the former champion. He overwhelms them with pressure and through patience and power, gets his opponent to the ground where he works to eventually submit them.
The 30-year-old also has key wins over Thiago Moises and Drew Dober, and with his win streak has been looked at by many pundits as the next lightweight champion. While Green enters this fight on 10 days’ notice and virtually nothing to lose, he is not impressed with Makhachev’s win streak.
“With Islam, he does what he does. But to be honest, it’s kind of boring,” said Green. Even if he’s getting finishes, it’s still been boring. So my whole thing is entertainment, excitement. He can be championship material, but it’s just f*cking boring. Nobody wants to see it. Nobody cares. I fall asleep watching his fights, then it’s, ‘Oh, there’s the finish.’ They can show a bunch of finishes and it’s cool, but it was sleeping and boring and it’s lackluster. For some of these guys, it’s just a match.”
Makhachev on the other hand has been looking beyond Green and thinking about a potential title matchup with champion Charles Oliveira. “It’s going to be a good fight because we almost have the same style,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “He has good grappling skills, he has good striking, and it’s going to be a good fight. I don’t think it’s going to be hard for me. I can take him down easy because I know he doesn’t have good wrestling skills. But his grappling skills (are) high level and we will see who is better there.”
The chatter online with fans and pundits alike agree with Green that Makhachev is boring to watch, but it is hard to deny his skills. You cannot discount a 21-1 record in the UFC’s lightweight division regardless of the style. Green is an ideal matchup for Makhachev because he relies heavily on standup, but likes to remain light on his feet. Green’s footwork could help him from preventing the takedown and his style could cause Makhachev a few problems early in the fight, but if Green gets taken to the ground it could be an early exit for King.
If Green can find a way to neutralize takedowns early, and land strikes from odd angles, he has a chance to upset the surging contender. It is unlikely Green’s flashy style will confuse Makhachev, but at the same time Green has seen it all in the octagon and he not going to change anything about his approach.
The rest of the main card:
Middleweight - Misha Cirkunov vs. Wellington Turman
Women's Flyweight - Ji Yeon Kim vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Lightweight - #13 Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joel Álvarez
Middleweight - Armen Petrosyan vs. Gregory Rodrigues
ESPN + Prelims:
Lightweight - Zhu Rong vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
Women's Featherweight - Josiane Nunes vs. Ramona Pascual
Lightweight - Terrance McKinney vs. Farès Ziam
Featherweight - Alejandro Pérez vs. Jonathan Martinez
Welterweight - Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Micheal Gillmore
Flyweight - Victor Altamirano vs. Carlos Hernández
