UFC’s Makhachev set for unplanned title gamble
UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev's pursuit of a world title shot takes a detour when he faces short notice opponent Bobby Green in Las Vegas this Saturday night – and the outstanding Russian grappler has quite a lot to lose if things don't go his way in Sin City.
American slugger Green, who fought just two weeks ago, was the only man to put his hand up to take on the suffocating wrestler when original opponent Beneil Dariush bowed out last week after suffering an injury in training.
But the bout places Makhachev at something of a disadvantage: if he wins, as expected, it will be seen as an inevitable victory against a fighter several rungs beneath him on the rankings ladder.
And should he lose? It would be an almost incalculable blow to his title chances.
Speaking to the media this week, Green outlined his approach to the fight. He won't, he told Ariel Helwani, enter the fight with a conservative game plan designed to minimize risk and maximize opportunity. No, instead, as he put it, he will walk forward and look to punch Makhachev in the face.
After that, who knows.
“Let me show you some real 'G' s**t," Green announced. “I’m gonna walk in there like a gangster and punch that guy right in his f**king face. I’m gonna keep hitting him in his face until he goes down. All he’s gonna do is try to wrestle, and that’s cool. He’s gonna wrestle and wrestle and wrestle. I can wrestle too.
“At the end of the day, I just want to show my peers, my colleagues, and my opponents, this is how the f**k you do this s**t. You don’t sit back and wait for the perfect opportunity.”
This seems to be the crux of Green's approach to the fight. In the hurt business, one can achieve more by jumping into a firefight than tactically plotting on the sidelines.
It is a tactic which has bore fruit in the past, and not just for Bobby Green but also for Islam Makhachev's opponents. Or at least one of them.
Green's 10 career knockouts proves that there is undeniable power in his fists and the Russian's sole career loss, which came all the way back in 2015, was the result of a perfectly-delivered shot from Brazil's Adriano Martins which flatlined the Russian early into his UFC career.
The quick-talking Green is confident of repeating this result, and vows that Makhachev will regret taking him on on short notice - rather than vice versa.
“All those guys play this like this weird game,” Green added of the strange dance which can occur in UFC matchmaking. “I feel like they hold their cards in and wait for the right time to pull out their ace. Like, no! Sometimes you’ve got to jump on it and take it the way it is. Now I’m jumping over all you guys because why? You’re too p***y to take the opportunity.”
As for Makhachev, he admitted that he just wanted to fight someone after having spent several arduous months preparing for Beneil Darisuh – and his comments suggest that he knows he is facing someone who won't be overawed by the magnitude of the occasion.
“It doesn’t matter who [my opponent is] because the last three months [were] so hard for me. I prepared for Beneil, training so hard. Just give me someone,” Makhachev said on Thursday.
“This guy has big heart because he took this fight [with] one-week [notice]. He has good boxing style, and about wrestling and grappling, we will check.
“We’re gonna talk inside the cage. I’m gonna take him down and tell him, ‘Hey, let’s go. Get up.’ I’m gonna talk. He’s gonna talk with me when we’re beginning, striking, but when I’m gonna take him down, I’m gonna ask him a couple questions.”
And after those 25 minutes (or less) have elapsed, Makhachev's supporters will be hoping that those questions weren't suitably answered by Bobby Green.
After all, be wary of the man who has nothing to lose.
