"He's so patient, he's so strong" - Bobby Green deciphers what makes Islam Makhachev's takedowns so dominant
Bobby Green was surprised by just how good Islam Makhachev's grappling is. Green and Makhachev shared the octagon in the main event of UFC Vegas 49 at the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas.
While some were expecting Green to cause a major upset, it was Makhachev who picked up a first-round TKO victory. This was the Dagestani's 10th win on the trot inside the octagon. Following the fight, a visibly disappointed Green was interviewed by ESPN's Megan Olivi.
During the interview, Green said Makhachev surprised him with how patient his approach is towards scoring takedowns. He explained that Makhachev is strong and takes his time, going step-by-step until he's in the perfect position to secure the takedown.
Once Makhachev managed to take him down, Green said he found himself unable to turn or move to deny the mount position to his opponent. That soon led to a ground-and-pound finish for Makhachev. 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 and a little until he gets right where he wants to be, you know, and so I tried to do some turning over it as I do and he went to mount and he was so strong at holding his mount so I was like, eventually I tried to get and turn [but] I couldn't move out of him, like, no one's been that strong before."
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Check out Bobby Green's thoughts after his loss in the video below:
Bobby Green vows to come back stronger after disappointing performance at UFC Vegas 49
Despite his first-round loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 49, Bobby Green earned the respect of fans and analysts after stepping up to fight on short notice. Green fought earlier this month at UFC 271 and still agreed to replace Beneil Dariush, who was to face Makhachev. Dariush picked up an injury and was forced to pull out of the fight.
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Following the fight, Green apologized to fans for his lukewarm performance and promised to come back stronger.
"I did the best I can guys, I'm so sorry to all my fans. I promise you I will live up to this," Green said.
The MMA veteran saw his two-fight win streak end after the loss to Makhachev. Green has 43 professional MMA fights under his belt. The 35-year-old holds a record of 29 wins, 13 losses and one draw.