These lackluster fight cards really have my motivation down when it comes to writing, so this will be later than usual. We were supposed to be getting Islam Makhachev vs Beneil Dariush in what was the clear and obvious number one contender fight. Unfortunately, for the second week in a row, the main event has fallen out. Last week was supposed to be Rafael Fiziev vs Rafael Dos Anjos, but apparently there was a problem with Fiziev's visa, so we'll be getting that next week as the co-main event to Covington vs Masvidal. This week, Beneil Dariush suffered what was reportedly a pretty serious ankle injury and will be unable to go. We'll hope that Beneil is relatively ok and that he's already on his way to a full recovery. That has led us to current day and how we've gotten to Islam Makhachev vs Bobby Green.
Bobby Green is just one of those guys where the normal rules just don't really apply to him. No matter how good or bad things are going for him, his performances are usually pretty consistent. A lot of people use the term OG, but Bobby Green is someone who can use it unironically. He's been fighting for a long time and I'm glad he's finally getting some shine as his career starts to wind down. At 35, he's closer to the end than he is to the beginning, but he's still fighting well. Maybe as well as he ever has. Saturday is the biggest opportunity Bobby Green has had in his career and even though he took this fight on short notice, I expect him to be ready. It is honestly surprising that Green has never really risen this high before. He has a lot of really natural skills that still shine even into his mid 30s. I'm getting ahead of myself though. He's on a 2 fight win streak as of now. He got a quick TKO win over Al Iaquinta and defeated Nasrat Haqparast just a couple weeks ago. Before that he lost a decision to Rafael Fiziev, which some people thought he won. Fiziev is now going to be fighting RDA for a chance to break into the top 6 of the division. In terms of style, Bobby Green is going to stand and strike. He does have some ability to get a takedown, but that isn't going to come into play against Islam more than likely. Bobby Green strikes in a way that you can tell it comes so natural to him. Even at his age now, he is still faster than most guys in the division. He has speed in his hands, but also all around quickness that he relies on for his defense. He likes to keep his hands down and use head movement to evade shots. He also rolls with punches very well, which isn't something that a ton of MMA fighters are known for doing. He's going to mostly throw hands, but he mixes in kicks enough that you can't completely disregard them. He is also as pure a volume striker as the division has. He doesn't have the tremendous power of others in that division, but he throws his shots quickly, straight, and precisely. He was able to beat Haqparast based almost solely on his jab. Green will be looking to come forward and that is when he's at his best. He is sort of the Kevin Holland before Kevin Holland. He's going to walk forward, talk trash, and then punch his opponent in the face. His cardio and pace is about as good as it gets. He may not be Alex Volkanovski with his cardio, but he is more than capable of going the full 25. Most importantly will be his ability to stop a takedown and, historically, he's done a pretty good job of it. Of course, Islam Makhachev isn't just some average, run of the mill wrestler, but Bobby Green is good enough that Islam isn't going to just walk through him like he's not even there. Bobby Green is no joke and he should be talked about with respect.
The red corner in this one will feature Islam Makhachev, who has been pegged as a future champion for what seems like years now. I give the AKA guys a hard time, but they're honestly not wrong. Islam seems to have the ability to beat anyone in the division. Islam only has a single loss in his career and it came in his second appearance in the UFC. He has since won 9 in a row and nearly all of them have been in extremely dominant fashion. For a long time, the big question mark left for him was his level of competition. Defeating Dan Hooker in his last appearance answered more than a few of those questions. In all likelihood, Islam will be staring down a title shot if he can get a win over Bobby Green. Unfortunately for Islam, this fight won't answer any of the remaining questions about his level of opponents. Getting a title shot while only having fought one opponent in the top 10 isn't typical, but it would be hard to deny him. Islam's style is pretty much what you would expect it to be. Given the part of the world he's from and his friendship with Khabib Nurmagomedov, it is virtually impossible for him to not be an extremely high level wrestler. Islam has taken the reigns from Khabib and is doing his best to replicate his run exactly. Islam is looking to take Bobby Green down, get on top, and ground and pound him until the fight is over. His top control and his ability to translate that into damage via strikes, submissions, or some combination of both is second to none maybe in all of MMA right now. I don't think there's anyone in the division who can straight up wrestle and grapple with Makhachev and come out on top. Green will need to keep it standing and that's where Makhachev will be vulnerable. Islam isn't a poor striker by any means, but it is very clear that it comes much less naturally to him. He does look more technical and smoother than Khabib did, but he doesn't have the power that Khabib had. Islam's chin has largely held up, so I wouldn't anticipate that being a weakness and the same goes for his cardio. He's gone the distance in 3 round fights before and hasn't had much of an issue.
While this is a traditional striker vs grappler matchup, how do we see it playing out? The obvious key in this one will be if the fight is standing or grounded. Now, a lot of times, there's a lot more to it than that and I'm not going to suggest to you that there's not a lot of complicated things and techniques being used. However, I think that it really is that simple in this one. If this fight stays standing for most of the 5 rounds, then that is going to favor Bobby Green in a significant way. He will have a reach advantage, a technique advantage, and a speed advantage on the feet. If this is a striking battle, Islam Makhachev will be behind the 8 ball in a noticeable way. Similarly, if this fight turns into a sambo match, Bobby Green is in trouble. If Islam is landing his takedowns over and over again, he's likely going to win this fight. Bobby Green is not without skills though. He can stop takedowns and he knows how to get up if he does go down, but this may just be a different beast. I may have just stated the obvious, so what are some keys beyond that or that may dictate whether the takedowns happen or not? I think it will be really important for Bobby Green to start fast. This isn't the type of fight where he will be able to feel things out and ease his way into the flow. He's going to need to come out early and put the pressure and pace on Islam. If Bobby Green starts slow and finds himself on the back foot and eventually being pushed up against the cage, that's not going to be great for him. Bobby Green can't really on feeling out Islam's grappling and then bouncing back in the second round because one take down can be enough for Makhachev. If he gets a takedown early, he could finish the fight right then and there. Another reason for Green to get off for a fast start is because I think he can really try to push the pace. Now, him taking the fight on short notice could complicate that to some degree, but I'll believe Bobby Green is out of shape the day I see it with my own eyes. We've never seen Islam Makhachev have to fight when things aren't really going his way. If he's fighting at a high pace and Bobby Green is landing his jab over and over, that would provide a lot of answers to a lot of questions. We know Islam has the cardio to go all day when he's in control, but it is a whole different game when things aren't going perfectly. I would be interested to see what Islam looks like in the 4th and 5th rounds of a back and forth fight.
I think this is going to be a really interesting fight. Now, I know that no fighter in the UFC is afraid of another fighter, but Bobby Green isn't scared of anyone. He's not afraid of the individual and he's not afraid to lose. He's going to go out there and give Islam everything he has. Bobby Green isn't the kind of guy who is going to go out there and melt due to the hype and Islam's resume. He's going to do the same thing he always does. He's going to move well, throw strikes in bunches, have his hands down, walk forward, and talk trash. We all know that Islam has the skills to beat him, but I don't think it is ridiculous to think that Bobby Green also has the skills to win. I think we will get a really good indication of how this fight plays out in the opening minute. I imagine that Islam is going to try and get this fight down as quickly as possible. If Bobby Green can stuff those early takedown attempts, that will be a really good sign for him. If Islam puts him on his back early, then that may be the beginning of the end. What do you guys think? Can Bobby Green pull of the massive upset? Or will Islam dominate his way to the title shot? What are some of the keys to the fight in your eyes? Leave any and all thoughts below. Thanks for reading and have a good one.
Comments
Post a Comment