In his pre-fight press conference, the Dagestani fighter was asked if any other fighters had been offered a contract to fight him. In response, Makhachev stated that top fighters like Rafael dos Anjos, Tony Ferguson, and Gregor Gillespie were also approached. However, they all declined.
Speaking further, Makhachev added that he has always had a tough time finding opponents:
Catch the UFC Vegas 49 full pre-fight interview below:
‘King’ recently defeated Nasrat Haqparast in a stunning victory at UFC 271. Following his victory, he agreed to fight Makhachev in the main event of UFC Vegas 49 on short notice.
Green was called in to fill in for Beneil Dariush, who suffered a fibula fracture during training.
Dan Hooker explains why Islam Makhachev might have had a hard time finding a suitable opponent
The lightweight bout between Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev was originally scheduled to be the main event of UFC Vegas 49. Dariush, on the other hand, was forced to withdraw from the card due to an injury.
In a recent episode of The Allstar, Dan Hooker suggested that elite lightweights like Dustin Poirier may have felt it was too risky to fight another top-five fighter on short notice:
Catch the full discussion with Dan Hooker below:
Islam Makhachev is on a nine-fight winning streak, defeating fighters such as Arman Tsarukyan, Davi Ramos, Drew Dober, and Thiago Moises. His most recent fight was at UFC 267, where he defeated Dan Hooker via first-round submission.
Bobby Green, on the other hand, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271.
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