Michael Bisping thinks we could see a big upset at UFC Fight Night 202.
With Beneil Dariush out, Bobby Green has stepped in on short notice to face highly touted contender Islam Makhachev (21-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Green (29-12-1 MMA, 10-7-1 UFC) competed less than 10 days ago, when he defeated Nasrat Haqparast via unanimous decision at UFC 271. With Green showing off his striking prowess in his November knockout over Al Iaquinta and the clinic against Haqparast, Bisping thinks “King” could present Makhachev some trouble if he’s able to keep the fight on the feet.
“For Bobby Green to step up, I mean, what an opportunity,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “And by the way, let’s be honest, 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, that Bobby has. Now, when it comes to wrestling and jiu-jitsu, I’ll give Islam the edge there. He’s better. He’s better in that regard, but you’ve got to get (Green) down.
“One thing we know about Bobby Green is the sprawl. He has a beautiful sprawl. He also has really, really good takedowns. I doubt he’s going to use these. In this fight, it wouldn’t be smart to take down Islam. That’s just going into his world, giving him what he wants. So Bobby needs to stay on the feet, try and put Islam on the back foot, but be careful that when he goes forward, Islam doesn’t shoot underneath. Obviously he’s going to get taken down. Look at what Islam did against Dan Hooker.”
Makhachev is coming off a quick submission of Dan Hooker at UFC 267, steamrolling the lightweight contender in half a round. But while Bisping hasn’t officially picked Green to beat Makhachev, he expects him to put up a good fight.
“Call me crazy, but I think there’s a good chance that Bobby Green might pull this off,” Bisping said. “There’s also a good chance Islam Makhachev takes him down and mauls him, but I don’t think it’s going to be that simple. I think Bobby Green is going to give a really good account of himself.”
