Initially, UFC Vegas 49 was supposed to be the moment of truth for Islam Makhachev.
The victory over Beneil Dariush not only removed all questions about his readiness to fight for the title, but also demonstrated that he is able to cope not only with the middle peasants, but also with the stars of the category.
However, the American was injured and was replaced by Bobby Green.
Not only was he not in the top 15 of the lightweight division at the time of the tournament, but he also had less than two weeks to prepare for the fight.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that the last time he fought quite recently: on February 12, he had a three-round duel with Nasrat Khakparast and did not even have time to properly recover.
All this elevated Makhachev to the status of the absolute favorite of the fight, but could also serve as a reason for underestimation.
Green would have acted as an underdog in any case, but in the absence of a semblance of a training camp, his chances of success were completely close to zero.
They were not increased by the fact that the organizers went to meet Bobby and staged a catchweight fight (up to 72.6 kg), thereby relieving him of the need to fully go through the grueling weight race.
As the American admitted, at the time of signing the contract, he managed to gain about 20 kg in excess of the light category limit.
That is why it is doubly surprising that the day before the show, the Russian was heavier than his opponent.
Consequently, there was no need to hope for superiority in mass either.
Makhachev himself was well aware that in the current conditions, not only victory was expected of him, but also the most dominant performance.
During the press conference, he openly stated that he must end the battle in the first round, and promised to do so.
After all, success in itself in the battle with Green, who came out on short notice, would hardly have impressed both the fans and Dana White.
Especially in light of the trophy hunt.
Makhachev would not have been himself if he had not tried his hand at standing against an experienced striker in the first seconds.
He started with a dangerous high-kick and subsequently demonstrated that he was in no way inferior to the resourceful Green in exchanges.
Bobby did a lot of tricks, worked great with his body and perfectly dodged his opponent's blows, but he practically did not score any significant hits.
These include perhaps a front kick to the body.
It is noteworthy that it was he who became a kind of trigger and made Islam remember wrestling skills.
First, Makhachev tied Green at the net, and in less than a minute he was already on top in the stalls.
Bobby was never known for defending takedowns and missed the first serious attempt to pass to the legs.
At the same time, he immediately allowed the Russian to turn into a kind of half-guard, which at any moment threatened to turn into a full mount.
In the end, this is what happened.
Islam diverted the enemy's attention with a false kimura attempt, and instead assumed a dominant position.
The next half minute turned into a real test for Bobby.
Caught under a flurry of blows, he made a desperate attempt to roll over on his stomach, but only drove himself into a hopeless situation.
Under the clear guidance of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was at the cage, the Russian continued to beat the defenseless American, subsequently forcing the judge to intervene.
Ultimately, the duel between Makhachev and Green lasted only 203 seconds.
Makhachev won the fourth early victory in a row and extended his unbeaten streak to ten fights.
At the moment, only UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman can boast of a more impressive result, who was not inferior in 15 fights in a row under the auspices of the promotion.
Therefore, it is not surprising that at the end of the battle, Islam announced his desire to fight for the lightweight title.
In addition to Makhachev, only two current UFC fighters can boast ten victories in a row - featherweight title holder Alexander Volkanovski and lightweight division leader Charles Oliveira.
On May 7, the Brazilian will hold the second defense of the belt in a battle with Justin Gaethje, and if successful, he may become the next opponent of Islam.
In addition to Makhachev, another Russian fighter performed at UFC Vegas 49.
Arman Tsarukyan was not lucky to start his career in the championship with a fight with Islam, but later he proved that he is a high-class fighter.
The next four fights ended in his favor, the last one ahead of schedule.
It only took him 129 seconds to knock out Christos Giagos and break into the top 15 lightweight division.
On paper, the fight with Yoel Alvarez promised to be an ordeal for Tsarukyan.
Like his counterpart, he made an unsuccessful debut in the promotion and lost to Damir Ismagulov, but then he also took the upper hand four times in a row, never bringing the case to a decision of the judges.
However, this time he could not oppose anything to his opponent.
Already in the first round, he was on the floor and missed a heavy elbow strike to the head, which opened a cut in the bridge of his nose.
The bleeding Spaniard still endured until the break, during which the cutman tried to put him in order.
But the wound was too deep.
The second round was not much different from the previous one.
Tsarukyan again effortlessly transferred Alvarez to the floor, where he began to beat the enemy.
He desperately resisted and tried to get to his feet, but succeeded in this a little more than Green.
In the end, the referee still stopped the massacre, and the management was so impressed that they awarded Arman with a cash bonus for "Performance of the Night".
In addition to him, Wellington Thurman managed to earn an additional $50,000.
The 25-year-old middleweight forced Mikhail Tsirkunov himself to surrender, until now considered one of the organization's brightest grapplers.
The Latvian fighter had nine victories by choke and pain in his career, and at UFC Vegas 49 he was one step away from the anniversary.
At the end of the first round, he caught the Brazilian in Jeff Monson's signature North-South move, but he miraculously managed to get out.
In the second round, everything also developed not in favor of Thurman.
Already at the beginning of the second minute, he was on the floor and was forced to defend himself against Tsirkunov's attacks.
However, later he clearly demonstrated that he owns a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a reason.
Having caught the opponent on the armbar, he did not let him go.
The Fight of the Night award went to Priscila Cachoeira and Ji Yong Kim.
The girls staged the most brutal cutting in the cage, sending a total of more than 270 blows to the target in total.
The Korean hit much more often (170:102), which was noticeable in the face of her opponent.
It is all the more surprising that the judges in full force sided with the Brazilian - 29:28.