UFC Austin co-headliner Bobby Green has had quite the run of late, emerging as a bonafide star relatively late in his career.
Green (31-14-1, 1NC) is set to throw down with Jalin Turner this weekend in Austin, Texas, but a callout from Brit bad boy Paddy Pimblett was not lost on him. Rather, it simply surprised “King” Green.
“He really said that? Somebody sent me that, but you know with Instagram and stuff, you be like ‘man did they make this up, did they just put the words in?'” Green wasn’t sure who was telling the truth when he saw the clip, but was in disbelief. “There’s no way he called me out. Paddy knows that’s a bad fight for him. He’s just talking. He just talking. Until you start walking— get through Tony, and then we’ll talk. We’ll talk after that. But Paddy don’t want that, it’d be a bad fight for him.”
Pimblett is set to take on Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 in December. In the meantime, Bobby Green has Turner to contend with — a tall, lanky lightweight stepping up to replace a similarly tall, lanky lightweight in Dan Hooker.
Losing his original opponent “really sucks,” admitted Green. “Because that had Fight of the Night on it. But I think me and Jalin are going to do our thing too. But my most important thing is just setting up classics. Stuff that can be watched, something that’s timeless. Keep getting those Fight of the Night awards. That’s where I was really at with it, but I think Jalin’s going to do the same thing.”
As to what he’s expecting from Turner, “especially in that first round, he comes really hard,” Green noted. “So I’m expecting that from him. Be careful, make sure I don’t make any mistakes, and go in there and try to take his head off.”
If all goes well, Bobby Green is hoping to come away from a successful night in Austin, take a little time off, then set his sights on UFC 300. Whether it’s Pimblett, or someone else.
“That’d be an honor. That’d be an honor. I was hoping to splash this one out, take a little break, and be ready for 300. Guys, I’ve fought five times in a 12 month span. I don’t know many fighters doing that right now, especially at my age, that have as many fights as I do or as many miles as I have on my body. I’m just really trying to do something different, and really put out the next level of fighting, show guys, the younger guys just how it really goes. Especially if you want to make some money. Because this sport, you’ll be in, you’ll be out, we gotta get our money out here.”
Watch the full UFC Austin media day appearance by Bobby Green above.
