UFC veteran Bobby Green now understands what makes Islam Makhachev so formidable after spending a few minutes of Octagon time with him.
Green stepped up on short notice to face Makhachev in the UFC Vegas 49 main event. He filled in for the injured Beneil Dariush just weeks after earning a decisive win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271.
Makhachev has long been seen as the heir apparent to former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He appears on the verge of a title shot following his first-round TKO finish of Green.
Fighters have seemed to have a different perspective on Makhachev's skillset after spending time inside the cage with him. During his UFC Vegas 49 post-fight interview with ESPN's Megan Olivi, Green explained how Makhachev can overwhelm his opposition.
“Yeah, I got it now," Green said. "So what they do is, they do this little thing where he’s so patient, he’s so strong, and he just goes little, little, little, little, until he gets right where he wants to be, you know? And so, I tried to do some turning over, and as I did it, he went to mount, and he was so strong at holding his mount, so I was like; ‘interesting.’ I tried to turn, and I couldn’t move out of it, and I’m like ‘no one’s been that strong before.’ So, I gotta work on my weight training and get on my muscles to build that strength for this division.”
Makhachev will more than likely get the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje later this year. Oliveira and Gaethje will square off in the UFC 274 main event in May.
Green had won back-to-back fights before the loss to Makhachev. He earned a violent knockout of Al Iaquinta at UFC 268 before putting on a boxing clinic against Haqparast.
If Green's comments are any indication, fighters need to develop a certain type of skill set to challenge a talent of Makhachev's caliber.
Who do you want Bobby Green to fight next?
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