MMA Recap

Bobby Green is not your average MMA prospect. In his own words, he’s an entertainer. And he happens to be a very good fighter. In two short years, Bobby has logged 15 fights, winning 12 of them. Each of his fights were on short notice and, up until now, none of them were preceded by a proper training camp. Now, he is the top contender to the King of the Cage junior welterweight (160 pound) throne and he has his shot at Rick Legere, the current champ, on February 26^th.

 

His first two years in professional competition served as a crash course and an exhibition to a future which could be very bright. Now, with a more focused training regimen, Bobby thinks he can become a star through his performances inside and outside the cage. MMA Recap's Matt Clarmont recently experienced his showmanship first hand after a training session when he had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his past, his present, and his future in MMA.

 

Can you tell me a little about your history in MMA?

 

I just started this thing out as a side job, you know, this was something I was doing [while] working 6 days a week. I’d only take a day off to fight. I wouldn’t train, just fight. Just use the wrestling I knew and my natural hand ability. I’d just go in there and take these guys on. The first 12 or 13 fights, I didn’t even train for them. I’ve never even trained over 2 weeks for a fight. This is actually the first time that I’ve had an extended period of time to train for a fight. I’m a foster kid. I’ve been one since I was five, this is now my living. Cats come in here like “oh fighting’s cool, this is what I like to do, I meet girls and this is the new thing” and they don’t understand that this is my lifestyle. This is what I do. I’ve done three fights in one night. That’s why I don’t understand when people say I walk around with a fake belt. Man, I fought three fights in one night: two black belts and one was a kickboxing champion. The other belt I got was from Toby Greer and he’s a tough cat. We went out there and had a war. So I earned both my belts. I think if I get the King of the Cage belt, then I’ll get my respect.

 

How long have you been training at Pinnacle?

 

I’ve been here about six months. [I was at a place before] where I didn’t think they were serious. I went there once, maybe twice a week. It didn’t seem that serious to me because none of the other guys were serious. When I came here, I saw that everyone was devoted. If you don’t come here every day to practice, you’re not fighting and that’s just the way it is so it made me take this stuff serious. So I quit my job and went straight out, doing this.

 

You’ve said before that you haven’t ever trained for a specific opponent nor had a real, focused training camp. For Rick Legere, though, you said that you are. How has it been different this time around?

 

I’m training harder than I ever have. Well, I had some injuries before. I fought Sevak [Magakian] on the Respect show back in December, then 2 weeks later I fought David Mitchell and got my ankle popped, then 2 weeks after that I fought Krazy Horse. I’ve been working through some injuries and just haven’t had enough time to train. For this one I’ve had a good 3 weeks to get ready, been trying to nurse my injuries from the injuries. That’s what he’s trying to beat me on now, the injuries. He’s gonna go after an ankle and get some kind of win like that.

 

How are your injuries doing now?

 

It doesn’t matter. I’d still go out there and fight and give [the crowd] a hell of a show. It does not matter. I was injured during the Krazy Horse fight. I was injured during the David Mitchell fight. I was injured during a lot of my fights. I still go out there and fight. All that stuff, you push it to the side and focus on the fight. When your adrenaline goes, you don’t feel those things.

 

How would you define your style?

 

Hood! I do a little bit of everything in here [at Pinnacle], what the average fighter does but there are things in my style that only I do. It’s stuff that’s been naturally bred in me over time. Most people don’t know I’ve been doing this [expletive] since I was five. I’ve been fighting like, everyday, just fighting guys. There’s some things you develop that people aren’t going to see. Like, my punches don’t always come down a line, they’re not all crisp, they come in at weird angles and it’s harder to see them. I call it hood.

 

You seem to like to trash talk, at least with your last couple of opponents, why is that?

 

It’s not even trash talk! It’s more so speaking the facts about a person that I don’t like. A lot of guys want to be tough guys and I look at them like ‘you’re really not that tough.’ Being around so many people and being from the streets and being out her so long and dealing with so many different personalities, I see these guys for who they really are. I more or less just shed some light on some issues. Some of these guys are a little phony like Rick Legere is “The IE Bad Boy” real tough, right? But I don’t feel like he’s fought anybody. You look at his first 6 fights, some of these guys are like 2-6, 3-8. You’re picking on guys! And how is he the IE Bad Boy? He’s coming out with bandanas like me and feeling like he’s real street and he’s real tough. I’m like ‘come on now, you ain’t fought nobody!” I’m just shedding some light on some issues. I’m not talking [expletive] I’m just like [expletive] come on now, somebody’s gotta say something! Show him for who he really is.

 

You had two recent losses and both came by way of submission. What happened in those two fights?

 

The David Mitchell loss was up a weight class and I took it on short notice, a week’s notice. The kid’s bigger than me, I dropped him with a right and he just happened to fall on my ankle and he just knew that if he let it go, the fight was over. He just held on for dear life on me. I tried to spin out of it and popped my own ankle. So he got away with it. But since then I talked to him about it and he was real cool and he was like ‘I would hate to fight you at 155.’ I didn’t have to cut weight or anything [to fight him]. That’s what I do. I don’t back down from any fights. I just jump in there. Rick Legere has been sissy about it whereas me, I just fight who the put in front of me. Guys that are supposed to beat me. Their resumes look better than mine, they’ve been training longer than me and they’re still getting beat. I’ve been thrown to the wolves many, many times. And yes, that’s what my issue is. You’re not really the champ until you’ve been in there with some really tough guys.

 

And then Dan Lauzon. I took that fight on 24 hours notice. I fought him at Affliction. And to be honest with you, I wasn’t really training serious at the time. I had been doing some extracurricular activities, you know, smoking, which you shouldn’t be doing. I ended up getting suspended after that for 6 months so I had to cut that out. I was out of my mind. I didn’t even care. It wasn’t even a challenge. I was like ‘Oh well, I’ll take it, it’s a paycheck’ I was just doing it for the money. It didn’t mean anything. Now that I’m actually taking this seriously, you’re gonna see a totally different version of me in that cage.

 

What was it like to knock out Krazy Horse?

 

I was actually shocked! I didn’t think I hit him that hard. When I hit him, I was like ‘I know you didn’t just fall to that!” I was ready to fight longer. I know that his cardio is [bad] I wanted to go into the deeper rounds but he fell down.

 

How did it feel?

 

It was great because no one’s ever knocked him out like that. I don’t care about that stuff. I was fortunate to do that but it doesn’t mean nothing to me. I would’ve beaten him anyway. Any way I could get it. Wherever the fight goes, I’m happy with that.

 

How would you assess Rick Legere’s skills?

 

He’s a wrestler. We’re around the same age and I think he was up a couple weights but he says he beat me in wrestling [in high school] but if you ask any wrestler, they remember everyone they wrestled especially who they lost to. A couple of my boys have wrestled with him. They kicked his butt; I kick their butts so Rick Legere’s not ready for me. He’s a wrestler and he’s trying to become this fighter. But he’s not a fighter. He’s a sportsman. He’s gonna sit back and look good, shoot his shot and just look good. I’m in there fighting. I’m not gonna stop until the fight is over. There’s a difference between a fighter and someone who’s just trying to do this as a sport.

 

A lot of people know who you are just based on your attitude, your charisma. What do you think about being known for your personality?

 

I’ve been getting a lot of flak about it, actually. There’s a lot of people out there from Dan Lauzon’s camp or there’s guys on the internet saying stuff about me like ‘I hope he gets knocked out’ and all this but the thing is I’m here to excite the sport. I don’t do boring shows. I don’t like doing boring interviews. That’s stuff I go to sleep on. You got to get the fans excited. [Muhammad] Ali was onto it. Mayweather’s onto it. You got to bring something to keep people entertained. Mayhem Miller, that guy does a show every time and that’s what I’m interested in seeing. Somebody to just come out of the blue and do something that catches my eye. I’m like ‘man, I got to watch this guy.’ But if you’re gonna be a showman, when you get in the cage you better do something that keeps me entertained. Like Nick Diaz, hell of a fighter. He’s entertaining. These people are paying good money to be here, you better entertain. I feel like I’m an entertainer, like a rapper. I go out there, excite the crowd, keep people interested.

 

What is your immediate goal in MMA?

 

I want to be on the Ultimate Fighter. That’s my dream right now. I want to get out there and do some training with some different guys. I want to be real into the sport where I’ll get my credit. I want to give back to the sport and show a different side of it. A lot of guys are so focused on being too respectful or [ambassadors]. They want to be like the perfect soldier and be nice and kind and the world’s not like that. Give them something real! I’m gonna give you a little bit of anger, I’m gonna give you a little bit of laughter, I’m gonna give you a little bit of everything. I don’t want to be like everyone else. That kills me when they come out with the same song that everybody plays and do the same thing everyone else did. I’m not here to do that, I’m here to do something new. I think if I was on the Ultimate Fighter, people would get to see a different character.

 

Do you want to avenge your loss to David Mitchell?

 

Oh, yeah! I would have to move up in weight but any time he offers that, I would take it. That fight was at 185 pounds. Same with Dan Lauzon and any other losses I’ve got.

 

Any final thoughts before the fight with Rick Legere?

 

I do good shows. I don’t care about winning or losing, I want to put on a good show. You put on a good show, they’re gonna call you back. I make sure the fans are excited. I take you from point A to point B. That means from when I’m walking out, get them all hyped up, get in the cage and do a good show.

 

Bobby would like to thank his Pinnacle Jiu-Jitsu’s sponsors: Unleashed American Made Clothing, Bail Hotline Bail Bonds, Eureka! Burger Redlands, TapouT, K&N Diesel Repair, Reckoning, and HardcoreMouthGuards.

 

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