Michael Bisping thinks an upset might be on the cards at UFC Vegas 49.
Michael Bisping thinks there’s ‘a good chance’ Bobby Green could pull off the upset against Islam Makhachev despite accepting the fight just 10 days removed from his unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bisping outlined Green’s keys to victory against Makhachev at UFC Vegas 49, predicting an upset victory if ‘King’ can keep the fight standing.
“For Bobby Green to step up, what an opportunity, and by the way, let’s be honest, Bobby can win this fight,” Bisping said (h/t BJPenn.com). “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. 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 gotta get him down. One thing we know about Bobby Green is the sprawl, he has a beautiful sprawl and really good takedowns, I doubt he will use it in this fight, it wouldn’t be smart to takedown Islam,” Bisping continued about Green-Makhachev. “Bobby needs to stay on the feet and put Islam on the back foot… Islam is great, we are all high on Islam, call me crazy, but I think there’s a good chance that Bobby Green might pull this off. There is also a very good chance Islam Makhachev takes him down and mauls him but it won’t be that simple.”
Green will enter the lightweight matchup a considerable underdog after filling in for an injured Beneil Dariush who was expected to take on Makhachev in an unofficial number one contender’s bout in the UFC Vegas 49 main event.
UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green takes place next Saturday, Feb. 26 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.