5 biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green

#2: Arman Tsarukyan – defeated Joel Alvarez in a UFC lightweight bout

Arman Tsarukyan should be considered a genuine lightweight title contender after his win last night

Coming into his fight with Joel Alvarez last night, not only was Arman Tsarukyan considered one of the UFC’s most dangerous lightweights, he was also considered one of the promotion’s most underrated fighters too.

After his beatdown of Alvarez, though, it’ll be very tricky for fans and observers to continue to underrate him. If anything, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his name appear in the top 10 at 155lbs come next week.

The Armenian fighter absolutely destroyed ‘El Fenomeno’, slicing him up with some brutal elbows in the first round before continuing the abuse in the second round until the referee was forced to step in.

Considering that Alvarez was considered a hot prospect in his own right – and was already 4-1 in the octagon – it’s hard to play down the significance of this win.

Essentially, Tsarukyan seems to have no weaknesses in his game. His only loss in the octagon came to Islam Makhachev, a fighter who might be the best in the world right now – and even he only edged a tight decision.

Who should be next for the Armenian? Fights with Michael Chandler, Gregor Gillespie or Tony Ferguson would all work, but whoever faces him is likely to be in trouble.

Could we see a rematch with Makhachev – with the lightweight title on the line – in the future? It’s too early to say, but stranger things have happened. Either way, Tsarukyan was definitely one of last night’s biggest winners.

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#1: Islam Makhachev – defeated Bobby Green in a UFC lightweight bout

Islam Makhachev may well be the best lightweight on the planet right now

It probably goes without saying that the biggest winner from last night’s event was Islam Makhachev. Not only did he extend his winning streak to ten bouts, but he also made his win over Bobby Green look stunningly easy.

To suggest that any other fighter – even Conor McGregor – now deserves a shot at the UFC lightweight title ahead of him is simply ludicrous.

Sure, the cynics will point to the fact that Green was a late-notice replacement for Beneil Dariush, took the bout on just under two weeks’ notice, and was unable to make the 155lbs lightweight limit, forcing the promotion to make the fight a 160lbs catchweight.

However, the truth is that, given he’d been preparing for a grappler, ‘King’ was actually a tricky match for Makhachev. Nobody had really outwrestled Green during his tenure in the octagon, and his boxing skills meant that most fans figured he’d hold an advantage over Makhachev standing.

However, those boxing skills didn’t come into play at all. Makhachev simply waited until the right moment, blasted through Green with a double leg, and then smashed him on the ground until the referee had to step in.

Essentially, while Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje are both fantastic fighters, assuming Makhachev is given a title shot before the end of 2022, it’s hard not to see him holding gold. He’s simply an amazing fighter, and this was just the latest example of that.