5 potential opponents for Bobby Green after UFC Vegas 49 setback
Bobby Green suffered a first-round TKO loss at the hands of Islam Makhachev last Saturday. While he was unsuccessful, the fact Green accepted the fight on such short notice and fought twice in two weeks likely means his stock went up in defeat.
Bobby Green apologized to his fans after #UFCVegas49 https://t.co/Hn4qy7KA3O
It was always going to be a monumental task for Green to cause the dominant Makhachev issues in their main event fight. The veteran is, after all, an unranked fighter and had little time to prepare for the biggest fight of his career thus far.
However, his willingness to do the UFC a favor and save their main event may have bought him some goodwill from Dana White and the promotion. He also turned in two very impressive performances prior to the fight with Makhachev.
That could mean Green's next bout may be against another ranked fighter, giving him a further opportunity to earn a number alongside his name. At the very least, he'll likely face someone knocking on the door of those rankings.
With that in mind, here are five potential opponents for Bobby Green after his latest setback at UFC Vegas 49.
#5. Bobby Green vs. Joel Alvarez
Joel Alvarez had an even worse time on Saturday than Bobby Green did. Alvarez took on Arman Tsarukyan and was dominated for a little over six minutes before the fight was ultimately stopped. After eating a few brutal elbows, Alvarez was bleeding profusely.
Given that both he and Green need a step down in competition, perhaps a fight with each other would be a good fit.
Joel Alvarez suffered a broken rib as well as significant damage to his face during his fight against Arman Tsarukyan at #UFCVegas49.
He will be out for around 2 months recovering before he can get back into training again. [per @dannyseguratv]
#UFCVegas49 #UFC #MMA https://t.co/2vUl9mxPsl
For starters, the timing ought to work in their favor as they both fought this past weekend. Green will likely want a break after fighting twice in two weeks and Alvarez will need some time to heal after taking a lot of damage on Saturday. The pair can take a break, re-group and then fight one another in a few months.
Alvarez has been in and around the rankings for a while now, which is right at the level that Green appears to be operating. With both men coming off tough matchups in the forms of Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, this fight would allow one man to get back on track.