Although Bobby Green has arrived, he still has a lot of work to do. In the main event of UFC Vegas 80 on Saturday, lightweight Grant Dawson was defeated by Bobby Green in just 33 seconds, giving him one of the best performances of his long career. It was Green’s second stoppage victory of 2023, and while that alone might land him a spot in the UFC rankings, the victory may also have given Green the recognition he’s long felt he’s been due.
After defeating No. 10 Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC), who was rated in the promotion, Green will probably have a number next to his name the following week, which he feels will be cool for the fans who want to know where he stands in the lightweight class. Even while he freely acknowledges that pursuing the UFC title has never driven him, “King” is confident that he can achieve it if the company chooses to push him in that direction.
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Bobby Green Calls For A Matchup With Dan Hooker
Green was a sizable underdog and wasn’t given much of a chance to defeat the emerging contender going into his fight at UFC Vegas 80. He beat Dawson, who was on a nine-fight winning streak, in just 33 seconds, shocking the odds.
Bobby Green was asked to select a competitor he might like to face next during the post-fight interview that followed his convincing TKO victory over Grant Dawson. He stated:
“My coach has been putting names in my ear. They said [Dan] Hooker, they want me to fight Hooker. I’m like okay, you know, if Hooker is down, I’m down. I’m down to even headline the prelims, I know that the cards got so stacked up.”
Like Green, Hooker has long been regarded as one of the top lightweights, but he has never been reliable enough to push himself into title contention, losing every time he competes against the best.
It makes sense from a ranking viewpoint, and both fighters are excellent strikers, so it checks all the boxes in terms of entertainment as well. He is now riding a two-fight winning streak over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner, and he is currently ranked No. 9, one spot higher than Dawson’s pre-fight status.
Since turning pro in 2008, Green has gained notoriety in the Strikeforce organisation before joining the UFC in 2013. Since then, he has established himself as a mainstay of the lightweight division, compiling a record of 12-9-1 with one no-contest and earning four Fight of the Night bonuses and four Performance bonuses.
Although Green has a lengthy resume, he may be enjoying the best year of his UFC career at the age of 37. “King” claims he’s close to reaching his goal of earning $1 million this year after three fights in 2023 (two wins and one no-contest), and with two bonuses already in the bank, he really expects to secure a seat on one of the UFC’s December events.
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