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Islam Makhachev did exactly what he said he would do, finishing Bobby Green inside of five minutes. Makhachev took a few minutes to get Green's timing before washing over his opponent and leaving the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada with his hand raised.

A title eliminator pitting Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush was originally scheduled for Saturday's Fight Night. Dariush was forced off the card with an injury, opening the door for Green to step in 14 days after he beat Nasrat Haparast at UFC 272. Makhachev acknowledged that he needed a first-round finish to secure a UFC lightweight title shot against the winner Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje. Makhachev stuck to his word.

Makhachev and Green measured one another on the feet for approximately the first half of the round. Once Makhachev committed to the grappling, he refused to let up. Green initially did well fending off the aggressor's takedown attempts, but Makhachev would not be denied. Khabib Nurmagomedov's protege continued to chain takedowns together until he grounded Green and worked towards the mount. Makhachev caught Green between full mount and back mount, reigning down strikes on a shelled-up opponent until referee Herb Dean waved off the contest. The finish officially came at 3:23 of Round 1 via TKO.

"I feel good. Thank God for this performance. I'm very happy. I trained so hard for this fight. I hope Beneil fixes his problem very soon and I'll meet him," Makhachev said in the post-fight interview. "I just want the title fight. No more. I'm tired of all these things I want the title. I'm ready, I'm here. Always training, always ready. Just tell me where.

"Beneil is one of the best in the world. I'm going to take this belt and I'll be waiting for him there."

Green was gracious in defeat, acknowledging the challenges of fighting Makhachev on short notice but congratulating him for committing to the early finish.

"I'm really disappointed but this is what happens when you try to throw something together so fast. There are so many things we went through. I would love another opportunity with a full camp," Green said. "At least he got the finish. He did exactly what he said he was going to do, but f--- it let's do it again."

Green's defeat dropped him to 29-13-1 overall after winning two in a row coming in. Makhachev (22-1) extended his active UFC winning streak to 10 with wins over Green, Dan Hooker, Thiago Moises and Arman Tsarukyan, among others.