Beniel Dariush Out of UFC Vegas 49, Bobby Green to Face Makhachev
Beneil Dariush is out of UFC Vegas 49 due to an injury.
#3 ranked lightweight Dariush was lined up to face #4 ranked Islam Makhachev to headline UFC Vegas 49 or UFC Fight Night 202 on February 26, 2022. However, Dariush has suffered an ankle injury in the training camp and is now out of the event.
ESPN reported that Dariush’s foot got caught in the mat as his training partner’s weight came down on him awkwardly. There is no clarity of the extent of the injury and no timeframe is revealed of his return.
UFC Veteran Bobby Green will replace Dariush. Green is coming off a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast in the UFC 271 main card opener last week itself. The fight is also changed to a 160 lbs catchweight bout, probably due to a short turnaround time for Green.
This is the second time in a row that Makhachev will be facing a makeshift opponent who is coming back to the octagon with a short turnaround time. At UFC 267, Makhachev defeated Dan Hooker after Hooker replaced Rafael Dos Anjos on the card. However, Hooker still had more than a month to recover and prepare for Makhachev. However, Green will be facing him in just three weeks gap from his last fight.
Makhachev vs Dariush was supposed to find a new #1 contender for the Lightweight title, with the winner probably going to face the winner of Charles Oliviera vs Justin Gaethje from UFC 274. It remains to be seen if Makhachev gets the same status if he manages to beat Makhachev. Makhachev is also on a 9-fight winning streak dating back to September 2016.
This was also the second important lightweight fight this month to fall through. Rafael Dos Anjos vs Rafael Fiziev is shifted to UFC 272 next month. It was earlier supposed to headline this week’s UFC Vegas 48.
Keep tuned in for more news and updates.
