Saturday’s main event will be Green’s second appearance of the month, as he earned a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 in Houston. Prior to that, the 35-year-old turned in one of the best performances of his career, stopping Al Iaquinta in two-and-a-half minutes at UFC 268 in November.
Sporting a 5-2 record since the start of the 2020, Green is undeniably a dangerous test for Makhachev, and the exact type of skilled, savvy veteran that could turn a short-notice assignment like this into his own breakout opportunity by handing a streaking rising star an unexpected loss.
But Makhachev has no intention of allowing that to happen.
“This fight now is going to be my 10-fight winning streak, and I think this is key for the title fight,” Makhachev said. “I know I’m going to finish this guy, and soon, I am going to fight for the title.
“I’m going to take him down, make him tired, and finish him,” he said, offering his thoughts on how this weekend’s main event will play out. “It’s always same plan. I am better than everyone in my division for wrestling skills, grappling skills; this is nothing new for me.”
It would sound conceited and be cavalier to say out loud if there weren’t a mountain of evidence to support the claims, with his victory over Hooker in Abu Dhabi at the end of October serving as a real eye-opener.
