On the night of February 12, at the UFC 284 tournament, Russian fighter Islam Makhachev will make his first defense of his lightweight title against Alex Volkanovski. The most anticipated confrontation between the two tops of the organization will take place in the homeland of the Australian.

But our champion is no stranger to defeating dangerous opponents on their soil. In one of these confrontations, Islam severely beat an American who huddled in hopelessness in the corner of the octagon.

“It didn’t matter to me who the rivals were”

2022 has become a landmark year for the Russian mixed martial arts fighter Makhachev. After much torment in the UFC, Islam still won the lightweight championship belt. To do this, he needed to issue a fantastic series of 11 victories. Few modern fighters can boast such a thorny path to the coveted title.

Makhachev’s main problem on the way to the championship was the unwillingness of top rivals to go against him in the “cage”. In February, his duel with Beneil Dariush was scheduled to headline the UFC Fight Night 202 card. A victory over one of the division leaders would almost guarantee Islam a championship fight.

But two weeks before the fight, the Iranian fighter unexpectedly withdrew due to a leg injury. The organizers urgently had to look for a replacement for Dariush. Various options were considered, but all fighters from the top ten lightweight division refused. This upset Makhachev very much. The Russian burst into an angry tirade against the refuseniks.

– All these guys from the top ten of the rating are just talking. Outside of the rankings, there are a lot of very good fighters out there. Everyone knows that top 15 is hard to jump into. We have to replace all these old people. Very soon, the king will change in the lightweight division, ESPN MMA quoted Makhachev as saying.

The American Bobby Green, who was considered a very dangerous opponent, agreed to become our fighter’s opponent. He has repeatedly received bonuses from the UFC for spectacular victories. Also, an athlete from the United States went on a series of two wins. Islam rejoiced at this option.

– I am very glad that at least someone was found as my rival. There were doubts that the fight would take place at all. I was very happy when Green accepted the fight. I was preparing for Dariush, I went through a good camp. It didn’t matter to me who the rivals were, ”the Russian said in an interview with the Championship.

Makhachev also admitted that he did not even have to make big adjustments to his preparation. He only dismantled the opponent’s technique, and also assessed his weaknesses and strengths.

Photo: © Chris Unger / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

“I’m tired of all this”

The main fight of the evening with the participation of Makhachev and Green was planned to be a five-round fight. True, it was hard to believe that fighters who could effectively finish opponents would last the entire distance.

But in the first seconds of the battle, the fighters preferred to act carefully at a distance. Islam tested the strength of the American defense with his feet. Green, on the other hand, tried to rock Makhachev, while practically not attacking.

After a short reconnaissance, the Russian shortened the distance and moved the opponent to the floor. In the stalls, Islam undividedly owned the initiative, diluting the blows with attempts to enter the submission. The constant attacks of our fighter forced Green to go on the defensive. Makhachev did not feel sorry for the opponent and bombarded him with a hail of blows. The referee stopped the fight in the fourth minute.

Photo: © Chris Unger / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

“I am very happy because I trained hard for this fight. Who would I like to fight next? I just want a title fight. I’ve had enough, I’m tired of all this, I want to fight for the title. I’m ready, I’m here, so just tell me when and where, and that’s it! Makhachev said after the fight.

Green, on the other hand, was not particularly upset by this defeat. Not much was expected from Bobby, including himself. The American came out to fight on short notice with the future champion, while receiving a solid fee as a reward.

– I feel like I’m getting high. I feed on it. The guys told me to fight in UFC APEX where Islam tried to kill me. All right, I don’t care,” Greene said.

This win opened the way for Makhachev to the championship fight. Nine months later, Islam seized this chance by winning the title from the Brazilian Charles Oliveira.

The live broadcast of UFC 284 can be watched on the Match TV federal channel and the holding’s thematic channels, as well as on matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites. The main card starts at 06:00 UTC.