Beneil Dariush Out, Bobby Green Targeted to Face Islam Makhachev at UFC Fight Night 202

UFC Fight Night 202 will likely have a new main event after Beneil Dariush suffered an injury less than two weeks before his headlining matchup against Islam Makhachev.

According to a report from ESPN, Dariush was forced to withdraw from the lightweight bout when his toe caught in the mat and his ankle twisted during a sparring session. As a result, the promotion is targeting Bobby Green as a replacement opponent for Makhachev. Green has reportedly agreed to the fight, which if finalized, will likely take place at a 160-pound catchweight. UFC Fight Night 202 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Feb. 26.

Green has won five of his last seven Octagon appearances since 2020. He will be making a quick turnaround after earning a unanimous decision triumph over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 on Feb. 12. Prior to that, “King” defeated Al Iaquinta via first-round TKO at UFC 268.

Makhachev is one of the promotion’s top lightweight contenders and has won his last nine UFC appearances. Most recently, the Khabib Nurmagomedov protege submitted Dan Hooker 2:25 into Round 1 of their encounter at UFC 267 this past October.