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 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 five 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.