5 active UFC fighters who had to wait years for their first main event

Bobby Green is set to compete in his first main event this Saturday

Bobby Green is replacing Beneil Dariush to compete against Islam Makhachev in the UFC main event this Saturday. After more than 14 years and 42 fights in the game, Green will finally make his UFC main event debut in this fight.

Here's the updated poster for this weekend's Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green main event 👌 #UFCVegas49 https://t.co/wtecXNT771

Green's path to the main event scene is admittedly far from traditional. In most cases, it takes fighters a few years to establish themselves as a top competitor in their division and earn their first main event.

Some fighters can make this jump much quicker. Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya were quickly thrust into main event fights in just their third bouts with the company. For others like Green, it can take much longer, but it is nice to see his hard work over the years finally being rewarded.

Here are five active UFC fighters who had to wait years for their first main event:

#5. Gilbert Burns - UFC welterweight

It took Burns almost six years from promotional debut to first main event

Gilbert Burns may be the No.2 ranked welterweight but it has been a long journey to the top. The Brazilian first debuted in the UFC back in July 2014. While his debut was at welterweight, he spent many years competing in the lightweight division before returning to welterweight in 2019.

After three fights following the return to welterweight, he was finally granted his first main event fight against Tyron Woodley. Burns would win that fight and then challenge Kamaru Usman for the welterweight championship. While he was unsuccessful, he has since rebounded with a win over Stephen Thompson.

Gilbert Burns (+150) pulls off the upset in the Main Event by unanimous decision‼️

Down goes #1 ranked Woodley 👀

https://t.co/7Fg0N0ohUZ

In total, it took Gilbert Burns 21 professional fights and 14 inside the octagon to earn his first UFC main event. He may very well get his second soon should a rumored bout with Khamzat Chimaev come to fruition.