Beneil Dariush has been forced out of his UFC Fight Night 202 headlining fight with Islam Makhachev next weekend after suffering an ankle injury.
The fight had been set to be a pivotal match-up in the lightweight division, with Dariush ranked No.3 after compiling a six-fight winning streak, while Makhachev is No.4 and has amassed a nine-fight unbeaten run.
Dariush’s drop-out hands the unranked Bobby Green a big, though undoubtedly very challenging, opportunity as he’s now been drafted in as a late replacement with less than two weeks to prepare.
Not only that, but Green is just days removed from his last three-round UFC fight in which he won a lot of plaudits for a convincing decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271.
That was Green’s second win in a row, having previously TKO’d Al Iaquinta, but having lost back-to-back fights prior to that against Thiago Moises and Rafael Fiziev still leaves him outwith the lightweight division’s top 15.
Meanwhile, Makhachev remains one of the most daunting opponents in the division as he’s a well-rounded fighter with elite wrestling ability, a strong submission game and tireless cardio, so Green certainly has his work cut out for him.
