Bobby Green declares himself the lightweight 'BMF' after accepting short-notice fight against Islam Makhachev
Bobby Green appears to be enthusiastic about his newly-booked upcoming fight at UFC Vegas 49.
Following his stunning victory over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271, 'King' accepted a fight with Islam Makhachev for just 10 days later. He'll face the Dagestani in the headliner of the February 26 UFC Fight Night.
Green was asked to fill in for Beneil Dariush on short notice after the top-five contender suffered a fibula break in training.
Following the announcement, Green took to his official Instagram account to declare that if the UFC's lightweight division had a 'BMF' belt, it would be his. Alongside an edited image of himself wearing the ceremonial strap, the lightweight contender wrote:
"If they had one for the lightweight division"
Islam Makhachev is on a nine-fight winning streak that includes victories over Arman Tsarukyan, Davi Ramos, Drew Dober and Thiago Moises. Makhachev's most recent fight was a first-round submission triumph against Dan Hooker at UFC 267.
'King', on the other hand, is on a two-fight winning streak, having defeated Al Iaquinta and Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 268 and UFC 271, respectively.
Bobby Green's stunning performance at UFC 271
Bobby Green put on an impressive display against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271, the promotion's second pay-per-view of the year.
As per MMA By The Numbers, the American has now surpassed the record for most significant strikes landed in the history of the UFC lightweight division. Based on the latest stats, Green unleashed a massive 163 significant strikes against Haqparast last Saturday.
Most significant strikes landed, UFC Lightweight history:
1. @BobbyKGreen (1404)
2. Evan Dunham (1225)
3. John Makdessi (1137)
3. Donald Cerrone (1127)
4. Dustin Poirier (1101)
5. Tony Ferguson (1085)
Bobby Green delivered vicious punches to Haqparast, who struggled to block them. 'King' destroyed Haqparast by dodging his strikes and delivering effective counters over the course of three rounds.
The 35-year-old won by unanimous decision and ultimately secured his first main event spot on MMA's biggest stage.
#UFC271
Nine years in the UFC and Bobby Green is still getting better 👊 #UFC271 https://t.co/ENCqFFMlo4
Green fought Jacob Volkmann in his UFC debut in 2013. 'King' defeated Volkmann via rear-naked choke submission in the third round.
'King' has had an eventful time in the UFC ever since. He has recorded wins against fighters like Clay Guida, Al Iaquinta, Lando Vannata and Josh Thomson.