Bobby Green saved the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Vegas 49 main event when stepping in for Beneil Dariush against Islam Makhachev. From an entertainment perspective, “King” also believes that he makes for a necessary addition to the card in contrast.
“With Islam, he does what he does. But to be honest, it’s kind of boring,” Green said at UFC Vegas 49 media day (h/t MMA Junkie). “Even if he’s getting finishes, it’s still been boring. So my whole thing is entertainment, excitement. He can be championship material, but it’s just f—king boring. Nobody wants to see it. Nobody cares. I fall asleep watching his fights, then it’s, ‘Oh, there’s the finish.’ They can show a bunch of finishes and it’s cool, but it was sleeping and boring and it’s lackluster. For some of these guys, it’s just a match.”
It was revealed last week that the original Makhachev opponent, Dariush, had suffered an injury to his ankle and was forced to withdraw from the contest. After competing just a matter of days prior in a unanimous decision victory over Nasrat Haqparast, Green took the opportunity to catapult himself into the mix among the Lightweight elite.
There was an argument to be made that Makhachev should be next in line for a title shot after amassing a sturdy nine-fight winning streak. Instead, he’ll now need to hit double digits at the very least before Justin Gaethje and current champion Charles Oliveira do battle in April.
“Is he championship material?” Green asked of Makhachev. “He’s been really downplaying me, and I’m going to keep it 100 for you: He’s a good opponent. I think he’s definitely — he’s been on this win streak. He is championship material if you’re talking about wins — if you’re talking about just wins. But I feel like when it comes to this MMA stuff, it’s what product you’re selling … We’re all selling something, and the public is going to buy the best thing they can find.”
UFC Vegas 49 will act as Green’s first time headlining a UFC event as he seeks his third win in a row.