"Does he have a birthday coming up?" - Chael Sonnen discusses why Bobby Green accepted Islam Makhachev fight at 160 lbs instead of championship weight
![Chael Sonnen (left), Islam Makhachev (middle), Bobby Green (right) [Image credits: @sonnench, @islam_makhachev, and @bobbykinggreen]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/02/c58bb-16453776756203-1920.jpg?w=500)
Last week, it was confirmed that Beneil Dariush had pulled out of the main event bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 49. Fan-favorite Bobby Green will now step into the headliner spot in hopes of ending Makhachev's nine-fight win streak on February 26.
However, the five-round affair will be contested at 160 lb, instead of the predefined divisional weight of 155 lb.
The UFC hasn't explained its decision to set the bout at a catchweight. However, Chael Sonnen has offered his take on what could've led Green to accept or perhaps request the fight to take place at 160 lb.
During a recent episode of his Bad Guy Inc podcast, 'The American Gangster' gave his opinion on the matter:
"We know [Bobby Green] can make weight, he just did [for UFC 271] but he still said, 'I'll give you two more rounds, you give me five more pounds.' Why did Bobby ask for that?... Do we at least agree that Bobby must be the one that requested it? Okay fine, if he requested it, why? Does he have a birthday coming up and he didn't want to suffer for it? I'll take anything. It would seem as though you would want to do everything that you could to mimic and replicate a title fight, when you're going into a fight that you want to be a number one contender's match."
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss the Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green catchweight fight in the video below:
Michael Bisping on what makes Bobby Green a dangerous fight for Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev is a heavy favorite going into this matchup due to his spectacular Dagestani wrestling that his friend, Khabib Nurmagomedov, also used to such good effect throughout his career.
However, Michael Bisping believes that Green could pose a significant standup threat to the Russian fighter when the two meet inside the cage.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping had this to say about Green's chances against Makhachev:
“Bobby can win this fight. On the feet, Bobby is way better, simple as that. Islam can strike, of course, he’s not a one-trick pony, he’s not just a wrestler, right? But he’s nowhere near as fast as Bobby Green. He’s nowhere near as slick. He hasn’t got the footwork either. When it comes to wrestling and jiu-jitsu, I’ll give Islam the edge there.”
Watch Michael Bisping highlight Bobby Green’s keys to winning against Makhachev below:
Islam Makhachev (21-1) is coming off an impressive first-round submission win over Dan Hooker at UFC 267. Meanwhile, Bobby Green (29-12-1) just earned a unanimous decision victory over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 on February 12.