Former UFC fighters Michael Bisping and Brendan Schaub think fans shouldn’t count out Bobby Green against Islam Makhachev.
Green will step up for his second fight in the same amount of weeks against Makhachev in the UFC Vegas 49 main event. He most recently defeated Nasrat Haqparast with his impressive boxing and movement at UFC 271.
Green got the call from the UFC to help save the UFC Vegas 49 card after Beneil Dariush suffered a significant injury in camp. While many have praised Green for being game for the short-notice challenge, few fans believe he has a legitimate shot at the elite grappler Makhachev.
But Bisping and Schaub are proud to be part of that minority. They not only believe that Green can surprise a lot of people against the -900 favorited Makhachev but could also leave Las Vegas with the upset win.
Michael Bisping Explains Why Bobby Green Has A Reasonable Chance To Pull Off An Upset
During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Bisping alluded to Green’s underrated ground game as a reason to not rule out an upset at UFC Vegas 49.
“For Bobby Green to step up, I mean, what an opportunity,” Bisping said. “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.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Makhachev is arguably one of the top grapplers in the UFC, as evidenced by his most recent first-round submission of Dan Hooker at UFC 267. He has won nine in a row and could be on the verge of a lightweight title shot.
Brendan Schaub Also Likes The Idea Of Picking An Upset At UFC Vegas 49
Schaub, like Bisping, also believes that picking Green may not be an unwise choice. He explained why in a recent episode of The Schaub Show.
“It’s not a bad idea taking a chance on Bobby Green if you have some extra cash to f*ck around with. It’s not a terrible bet. It’s hard to plan for, short notice, huge underdog, main event. He’s an experienced fighter, very explosive, hard, hard to train for. So we’ll see.
“I would assume Makhachev tries to take him down early on to take away and nullify that XFactor that is Bobby Green. He gets him down early on, tries to break him, wears him out, nullify that kind of XFactor. Makhachev is an absolute monster when it comes to that.” (h/t BJPenn)
If Green can shock the world and stop the Makhachev hype train, he’ll no doubt emerge as a top contender in the lightweight division. As for Makhachev, he’s looking to keep his winning streak intact and potentially earn the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje for the belt.
Do you think Bobby Green has a chance against Islam Makhachev on short notice?
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Bisping & Schaub Tout Bobby Green As Live Underdog Against Makhachev