Bobby Green’s successful but somewhat-aimless journey through the Ultimate Fighting Championship has brought him to the doorstep of much-hyped lightweight prospect.
The seasoned and well-traveled Californian will take on Tiger Muay Thai export Rafael Fiziev in the featured UFC 265 prelim on Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston. While Green enters his matchup with the once-beaten Fiziev as a sizeable underdog, he has built up some momentum with three wins across his past four outings. He last competed UFC Fight Night 181, where he dropped a unanimous decision to American Top Team’s Thiago Moises on Oct. 31.
As Green makes final preparations for his forthcoming battle with Fiziev, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. He was a natural in the singlet.
Green started wrestling as a sophomore at A.B. Miller High School in Fontana, California, where he became a two-time All-State selection for the Rebels. It made for a more natural transition to mixed martial arts when he debuted some four years later under the Total Fighting Alliance banner.
2. The regional scene allowed him to blossom.
The California native won 15 of his first 19 fights as a professional and became a two-division champion in the King of the Cage organization. Green laid claim to the company’s junior welterweight title when he put away Ricky Legere Jr. with punches 4:27 into the first round of their Feb. 25, 2010 encounter and captured its lightweight crown when he took a five-round unanimous decision from Dom O’Grady on April 21, 2011.
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3. His services have been in high demand.
Green has fought in 11 different promotions during his 39-fight career. He has competed in Total Fighting Alliance, Ultimate Challenge Mexico, Valor Fighting, Cage of Fire, Warriors Fighting Championship, Affliction, King of the Cage, Respect in the Cage, Tachi Palace Fights, Strikeforce and the UFC.
4. His standup skills leave a statistical footprint.
The Pinnacle MMA product has compiled an 8-6-1 record across his 15 appearances with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He ranks second among active lightweights in striking differential (1.8), fourth in significant strikes landed (1,045), fourth in total strikes landed (1,260), seventh in significant strike defense (63.2%), eighth in strikes landed per minute (5.2) and ninth in significant strike accuracy (51.3%).
5. His lethality extends to the mat.
Despite his reputation as a willing banger, Green has secured almost as many wins by submission (eight) as he has by knockout or technical knockout (nine). He has delivered one of each since he joined the UFC roster eight-plus years ago. Green submitted Jacob Volkmann with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their UFC 156 pairing on Feb. 2, 2013 and brought down James Krause with a body kick in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 31 encounter on Nov. 6, 2013.