Lightweights
Bobby Green (27-10-1) vs. Thiago Moises (13-4)Few fighters have done more to raise their stock in 2020 than Green. Given his struggles with injuries in the past few years, it has been a pleasure to see him fight as often as he has in the past few months, as this will mark his fourth fight since late June. Even better, the Californian has won each of those previous three fights, recapturing the form and momentum that got him to the fringes of contender status in 2014. Green has always been an entertaining veteran. Starting in the sport young and fighting often meant he was a seasoned product by the time he hit the Octagon. A breakout win over Josh Thomson seemingly set up Green for big things, but instead, he spent most of the next five years in the wilderness. Injuries and personal issues often kept Green out of the cage, and while his losses were to top contenders like Edson Barboza and Dustin Poirier, it was hard for the “King” to find a victory. Back-to-back losses against Drakkar Klose and Francisco Trinaldo were extremely frustrating. Green seemingly did everything he needed to do to win the fights, but his willingness to move backwards as part of his counter-heavy style seemingly cost him those bouts on the scorecards. During this 2020 resurgence, Green has been able to show off all parts of his game, from his slick counter-boxing to his strong wrestling; and thankfully, the judges have finally come around and recognized the value of his efforts. He should be able to get another win against Moises, who gets a bit of a tough draw here. It is a shock that Moises is still just 25 years old, given that he was on the prospect radar for years prior to his UFC debut and features a poised and well-rounded approach. Moises can do a little bit of everything, as he hits hard and has some strong submission chops, but he is obviously hurt by his lack of athleticism. There is just not much burst or shock in Moises’ striking game, so his fights often come down to whether or not he can control his opponents with his wrestling. Without it, he is usually left to chase his opponents and fight their type of fight. Wrestling has never been the way to beat Green, so this figures to result in a lot of the former King of the Cage champion frustrating Moises as the much quicker and slicker striker. The pick is Green via clear decision.
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