Bobby Green is not one to turn down a fight.

It has been that way all his life, whether he wanted it or not. A foster child at 5. Kicked out of the military at 18. A pro MMA fighter at 21.

So why should 35 be any different?

Two weeks after his dominant victory over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271, Green will return to the Octagon to challenge Islam Makhachev on Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 202 main event at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

The San Bernardino native, who took the 160-pound catchweight fight on 10 days’ notice despite weighing 195 pounds, says it was a no-brainer.

Yes, defeating the Dagestani lightweight title contender with a 20-1 record and eight-fight winning streak, built largely on Makhachev’s elite grappling and ground game, would likely thrust Green (29-12-1) into the 155-pound rankings.

But the reasoning is more elementary for the father of three: “Cuz I’m always down. And I’m always down to take care of my family. Whatever I need to do to take care of my family, I will do.

“I don’t want my kids to grow up the way I grew up.”

That drive goes back to when Green’s father was incarcerated and his mother, unable to care for him as she battled drug addiction, abandoned her 4-year-old on a stranger’s porch.

In and out of dozens of foster homes, Green found his way into and via the wrestling room at A.B. Miller High in Fontana and became a two-time all-state wrestler.

“I’m thankful that’s something that saved me, that I probably wouldn’t be here,” Green said. “I’m very thankful for all the wrestling and the friends and the love that I got from wrestling.”

Green then joined the Army, but that was short-lived after a private called him a racist slur. “Beat him up and I got kicked out.”

Fighting soon became a vocation. Green fought all over Southern California, even in Tijuana and Mexico City, before catching the eye of promotions like King of the Cage, where he was the junior welterweight and lightweight champion, and Strikeforce, where he went 4-1.

When UFC absorbed Strikeforce, Green rattled off four consecutive wins. His next fight was the pinnacle of his career – a co-main event bout against Edson Barboza in late 2014, which he lost by unanimous decision.

The defeat set off a roller-coaster UFC career for Green – lose five of seven, win three, lose two, win two, which is where the Rialto resident, who trains at Icon MMA in Moreno Valley, now finds himself.

One thing Green never lost, though, after 42 fights and a 10-7-1 record in the UFC, is his penchant for being an exciting fighter. Upon dazzling the Houston crowd on Feb. 13 via his unanimous-decision victory over Haqparast – inspired by Haqparast’s Superman cape-tugging moment by saying he saw fear in Green’s eyes days before their fight – Green also had a fan in UFC play-by-play broadcaster Jon Anik.

“I’d like to see him get a main event,” Anik said, in an admitted “hot mic” moment after Green’s win. “I’m no matchmaker, but I would like to see him rewarded for his body of work with a UFC Fight Night main event against a fellow lightweight contender.”

Three days later, Placentia lightweight contender Beneil Dariush was forced out of his fight against Makhachev. The 30-year-old former combat sambo world champion, a peer of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov who trains at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, says no ranked 155-pounders offered to step up.

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But Green did, who plans to hold up his end of the bargain.

“He’s a wrestler. He’s gonna wrestle,” Green said. “My game plan is to go out there and make it exciting, make something happen with somebody who I don’t think is an exciting fighter. That’s my challenge.”

UFC FIGHT NIGHT 202

Main event: Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green

When: Saturday

Where: UFC APEX, Las Vegas

How to watch: ESPN+ (prelims 1 p.m.; main card 4 p.m.)