What is the UFC ranking of Bobby Green, the lightweight fighter replacing Beneil Dariush against Islam Makhachev?
Bobby Green is set to headline his first UFC card against Islam Makhachev on February 26. Green currently doesn't rank among the top 15 lightweights, while Makhachev is ranked No.4 in the division.
Islam Makhachev was originally scheduled to headline the card against Beneil Dariush, who pulled out due to an ankle injury. Green took the fight on ten days notice, as reported by ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
What’s that you say? Bobby Green in his UFC main event? How about taking on Islam Makhachev in 10 days? Per sources, Green will replace the injured Beneil Dariush on Feb. 26 against a Makhachev. Not done yet, and likely a catch weight. But both have agreed to the fight. https://t.co/3hpRYd8ZFt
Makhachev confirmed the switch of opponent and also wished Darisuh well in his recovery. The Dagestani wrote on Instagram:
"Different opponent, same goal. Also, I just wanna wish Beneil speedy recovery and best of luck. I truly believe we will face each other in the future."
Makhachev is currently riding a nine-fight win streak which includes wins over Arman Tsarukyan, Davi Ramos, Drew Dober and Thiago Moises among others. In his most recent outing, Makhachev scored a first-round submission win over Dan Hooker at UFC 267.
Meanwhile, Bobby Green scored an emphatic decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 last week. It was 'King's second win in a row after a first-round TKO win over Al Iaquinta at UFC 268 in November last year.
Bobby Green is not concerned about rankings
Bobby Green set the record for the most significant strikes landed in UFC lightweight history en route to his dominant win over Nasrat Haqparast. Competing in the UFC since 2013, the 35-year-old will be headlining a card for the first time against Islam Makhachev this weekend.
Despite some high-level performances in recent outings, Green is currently unranked in the UFC lightweight ladder. However, that is not a cause for concern for Green, who is more focused on fat paycheques. King told reporters at the UFC 271 post-fight presser:
“What do I want moving forward? A whole lot of money. I don’t care about the rankings, all that stuff. I was ranked No. 6 before in the world. You’ll be ranked today, and you’ll be out tomorrow. Who cares about the rankings. What I care about is that check and making sure my family’s straight. That’s all that matters. Put whoever you want to put in front of me – just make sure it’s exciting, make sure we can get the crowd going [and] we can get them into it.”
Watch Bobby Green's appearance at the UFC 271 post-fight scrum below: