This weekend we will see the catchweight battle between Islam Makhachev and Bobby Green go down, with both fighters weighing in at 160lbs. Originally, Makhachev was due to take on Beneil Dariush, but he pulled out due to a foot injury. In stepped Bobby Green with just ten days’ notice to make this fight happen.
UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green
- Date: Saturday, February 26
- Place: UCF Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Broadcast: ESPN+ 4 p.m. (ET) Prelims & 7 p.m. (ET) Main Card
Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green Fight Odds
Islam Makhachev is the bookies’ pick to win this matchup, but the odds are changing, as money seems to be piling on fan-favorite Green. Islam’s results speak for themselves: he is defending a nine-fight win streak and has a professional record of 20-1-0.
Makhachev knows that securing ten wins in a row by beating Bobby Green should earn him a title shot after Justin Gaethje. However, as his opponent changed on such short notice, he could be in for a tough night. He has been training for a completely different opponent for months, so each camp will be scrambling to get a game plan together.
Bobby Green is coming off a two-fight win streak after retiring Al Iaquinta from the UFC with a vicious first-round knockout in November. He also went the distance against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 to win by unanimous decision.
Bobby has shown us that he can do it all within the Octagon. His most recent knockout came from a sharp left that landed within just two minutes of fighting Iaquinta. Green looked super composed in this matchup and barely put his guard up for most of it.
We might see an upset on the cards from the more experienced Bobby Green on fight night. With a slight reach advantage and nothing to lose, this promises to be an interesting matchup.
| Islam Makhachev | vs | Bobby Green |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Age | 35 |
| 22 | Fights | 41 |
| 21 | Wins | 29 |
| 1 | Losses | 12 |
| 3 | KO’s | 10 |
| 10 | Subs | 8 |
| 5′ 10 | Height (feet) | 5′ 10 |
| 70.5 | Reach (inches) | 71 |
| 155.50 | Weight (lbs) | 166.00 |
| Win | Last Fight | Win |
Misha Cirkunov vs. Wellington Turman Fight Odds
This matchup is the co-main event between the two exciting middleweight fighters. Misha Cirkunov is looking to gain his first victory since dropping weight classes, and Cirkunov will be hunting his first win in three fights after his two recent losses.
Cirkunov goes in as the Vegas oddsmakers’ favorite despite his recent form. This fight has been scheduled for around a month, with Misha originally supposed to take on Makhmud Muradov, but he dropped out after injuring his arm in training.
The Russian partly owes his favorite tag to the five-inch reach advantage. Also, with plenty of submission wins, he has repeatedly shown that he is very dangerous on the floor. So expect groundwork to be a big part of his game plan come Saturday.
Turman’s last fight was back in August when he faced off against Sam Alvey. And despite losing a point for an eye poke late in the third round, he won by split decision. The two fights before his last win, however, won’t feature in his highlight reel – Bruno Silva and Andrew Sanchez both stopped him in the first round.
With his 17-5-0 record and three of these losses coming in his relatively short UFC career, the 25-year-old has a make-or-break fight on his hands against Cirkunov.
Turman is reasonably well-versed in all fighting styles. With a 65% finishing rate, we’ve seen him get four knockouts, seven submissions, and six wins on the books. The dynamic of this fight proves to be a compelling one. After a little bit of a static matchup against Alvey, he needs to turn up the heat to stick around in the UFC.
| Misha Cirkunov | vs | Wellington Turman |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Age | 25 |
| 13 | Fights | 22 |
| 10 | Wins | 17 |
| 2 | Losses | 5 |
| 0 | KO’s | 4 |
| 8 | Subs | 1 |
| 6′ 3 | Height (feet) | 6′ 0 |
| 76 | Reach (inches) | 72 |
| 185.00 | Weight (lbs) | 185.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Win |
Priscila Cachoeira vs Ji Yeon Kim Fight Odds
This 125lb bout comes after the controversial fight where Priscila would lose against Gillian Robertson via a rear-naked choke, but not after slipping out of the first one with an eye gouge.
Cahoeria has apologized online and in person for her error, but there were calls about whether she should be allowed to fight again. The UFC is a dangerous place: bouts have claimed many fighters’ vision, including Micahel Bisping, who lost an eye in the Octagon when he faced a head kick from Vitor Belfort.
Despite her recent submission loss, we saw Priscila end her previous two fights early against Gina Mazany and Shana Dobson. So it seems if she keeps things standing, she will have a chance. But the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu of Kim will likely cause her major problems.
Ji Yeon Kim was supposed to fight in UFC 270, but Poliana Botelho pulled out of that matchup. Nevertheless, we will finally see her attempt a comeback on Saturday after two unanimous decision losses.
She goes into the Octagon with a considerable 7-inch reach advantage and as the younger but slightly more experienced professional fighter. So understandably, the odds are on her side. You might also remember her dominant performance at UFC 243 when she knocked out Naida Kassem in round two.
Both opponents need to win this one. Cahoeria will want to keep it clean to clear her name and Kim will undoubtedly look to use her superior groundwork to leverage her comeback.
| Priscila Cahoeria | vs | Ji Yeon Kim |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Age | 32 |
| 14 | Fights | 15 |
| 10 | Wins | 9 |
| 4 | Losses | 4 |
| 6 | KO’s | 2 |
| 0 | Subs | 3 |
| 5′ 7 | Height (feet) | 5′ 7 |
| 65 | Reach (inches) | 72 |
| 125.00 | Weight (lbs) | 125.00 |
| Loss | Last Fight | Loss |
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joel Alvarez Fight Odds
This lightweight battle is between two fighters carrying their joint four win streaks into the Octagon.
Tsarukyan hasn’t fought in a while, but he made light work of Christos Giagos in September, ending the fight in over just two minutes (2:09). The battle finished when Giagos had an up-kick tagged, which led to Arman catching him clean, rocking him, and finishing things off with consecutive blows from behind.
The 25-year old Georgian has an impressive 16-2-0 professional record and comes into this bout with a 65% finishing rate. And if he keeps putting on stellar performances, he will be a challenger for the lightweight title at some point.
Number 13 ranked Joel Alvarez is the slight underdog in this clash despite being on a four-fight win streak. The man they refer to as El Fenomeno hasn’t lost a UFC matchup since early 2019 and doesn’t plan on starting now.
The Spaniard is somewhat of a submission expert, with 16 of his 19 wins coming from making his opponents tap out. However, he’s not a one-trick pony – he also has first and second-round knockout wins in recent fights. Alvarez cannot be overlooked in this matchup, as he has a height advantage, 4.5 inches of reach over Arman, and more experience.
What will Alvarez’s game plan be going into this match as an underdog? We have seen his striking power, but he could use his submission expertise to secure the victory.
| Arman Tsarukyan | vs | Joel Alvarez |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Age | 28 |
| 19 | Fights | 21 |
| 17 | Wins | 19 |
| 2 | Losses | 2 |
| 6 | KO’s | 3 |
| 5 | Subs | 16 |
| 5′ 7 | Height (feet) | 6′ 3 |
| 72.5 | Reach (inches) | 77 |
| 169.40 | Weight (lbs) | 157.50 |
| Win | Last Fight | Win |
Gregory Rodrigues vs Armen Petrosyan Fight Odds
Gregory Rodrigues is a huge favorite to win this middleweight bout. The Brazillian is on a four-fight winning steak after joining the UFC from the Legacy Fighting Alliance.
Since making the move, the 29-year-old has managed to beat Dusko Todorovic and Jun Yong Park. He went the distance against Dusko to win unanimously but managed to knock out Park in the second round.
This guy fights like putting up a guard is not even an option and entered an all-out war against Park. As a result, expect fireworks during this first main card fight on Saturday.
You might not have heard of Armen Petrosyan before, and that’s because this is his UFC debut. He got his shot to take on Rodrigues after winning against Kolyan Kolev in Dana White’s Contender Series.
Despite being new to the Octagon, he has an impressive 6-1-0 professional fight record and managed to show some flare when he ended his Contender Series fight with a first-round knockout.
This matchup will be firey, as Armen is looking to follow in his brother’s (Giorgio Petrosyan) footsteps and put his stamp on the UFC. He has a 100% finishing rate and even finished a fight in just 15 seconds in July 2021. Therefore, expect a complete brawl that’ll be over quickly.
| Gregory Rodrigues | vs | Armen Petrosyan |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | Age | 31 |
| 14 | Fights | 7 |
| 11 | Wins | 6 |
| 3 | Losses | 1 |
| 5 | KO’s | 6 |
| 4 | Subs | 0 |
| 6′ 3 | Height (feet) | 6′ 2 |
| 76 | Reach (inches) | 71 |
| 185.00 | Weight (lbs) | 205.00 |
| Win | Last Fight | Win |
Preliminary Fights
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Rong Zhu
- Josiane Nunes vs. Ramona Pascual
- Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam
- Hannah Goldy vs. Jinh Yu Frey
- Alejandro Perez vs. Jonathan Martinez
- Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Micheal Gillmore
- Victor Altamirano vs. Carlos Hernandez
View the latest betting odds for all upcoming UFC fights.
Based in California, James William writes about golf, tennis, UFC and the (sometimes complicated) world of betting on sports. A big lover of live poker, James also takes care of casino reviews for Vegas-Odds.com.
