The UFC’s lightweight division is one of the most competitive weight classes in the promotion and it has found a new contender in Bobby Green.
The red-hot Green made his debut at UFC 156 and is on a four-fight win streak, holding victories over Josh Thomson and Pat Healy. The former Strikeforce fighter has marveled competitors and fans alike with his impressive footwork, head movement and pin-point striking. Despite beating Thomson in a close contest, the American Kickboxing Academy product sits ahead of him in the 155-pound rankings. With a bout lined up against the unpredictable Edson Barboza on tap, what will a win prove?
The 28-year-old Green has quietly climbed the lightweight ladder. After compiling a 4-1 record in Strikeforce, Green set his sights on UFC gold, beginning with his domination over veteran Jacob Volkmann. From there, the California native put all lightweights on notice, finishing an accomplished James Krause before his breakthrough performances over Healy and Thomson.
Nobody has been able to replicate the timing and movement of Frankie Edgar, in the 155-pound division, but Green has. He is a versatile fighter, who some call dirty. His loss against Dan Lauzon and win over Volkmann have brought to light questionable tactics.
“It bothered me a lot. I play by the rules, I’m a man of respect and honor,” Green said in response to the allegations, per MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani. “I don’t believe in cheating. Cheaters never prosper.”
Poor aiming could not mar Green’s unblemished UFC record. He was virtually went untested in his run through the lightweight division, aside from his last victory over fellow Strikeforce alum Thomson. Prior to the contest, Green was a 155-pounder with intrigue and raw potential. He was on the outside looking in on the lightweight division.
In a bout that would’ve won fight of the night on any other card, the two men put on a show, trading kicks, combinations and anything else you can possibly think of. The 35-year-old Thomson landed a number of sharp kicks to the head and body, as did his counterpart Green, with the fight rarely making it to the ground. Green appeared to relish the opportunity of fighting the former third-ranked lightweight in the world in his own backyard, taunting San Jose’s own as he took the center of the Octagon. Utilizing speed and movement, as he always does, was Green’s sticking point to winning the fight.
“I was being way more active in the fight because Josh is the type of guy who picks when he’s going to attack and can dictate the pace. I wanted to take that from him,” Green told MMAJunkie following the win.
Green was able to take Thomson’s best, and was taken down, but he came out more aggressive in the last round, which impressed the judges enough to score a huge upset decision. Fight metric reports back up the victory for Green, who improved to 23-5 and is now the seventh-ranked lightweight in the UFC.
Curiously enough, it’s Thomson who sits above Green in the rankings at number six. While a bit odd, many a times has there been an exciting fight with no clear-cut winner. So Thomson, while scorned by the judges, doesn’t lose much ground—he still dropped three spots from number three—in the division.
Green answered many questions in the Thomson fight, he withstood pressure, he expanded his arsenal and proved he could hang with the best the sport has to offer. But Thomson is a much more calculated fighter than the next man Green is set to face.
Edson Barboza sky-rocketed up the lightweight ladder, delivering blistering knockouts to would-be challengers. Barboza owns victories over Ross Pearson, Danny Castillo and most recently Evan Dunham. The Brazilian has been stopped twice, once by Donald Cerrone and the other by Jamie Varner. A win over a name like Green would do wonders for Barboza‘s confidence, who has previously been halted by those at the top of the food chain.
In what is a potential FOTN candidate, both men share similar attributes. Make no mistake about it, Green and Barboza are two dynamic strikers. Like Green, Barboza boasts deadly kicks which, if they land flush, usually end the night very quickly. He won the 2012 KO of the Year from UFC Brazil.
Barboza has fought, and beaten, some heavy-handed strikers such as Lucas Martins, Ross Pearson and Anthony Njokuani. However, he is prone to being tagged, as he was against Pearson and Njokuani. Barboza absorbs 3.5 significant strikes per minute. But as the saying goes, styles make fights, and Barboza is a willing brawler.
Luckily for fight fans, maybe not Barboza, Green doesn’t mind trading leather either. Green’s approach to standing and banging doesn’t differ that much from his opponent’s. Each can pull off a wide variety of kicks, body shots and jabs. It’s Barboza, who comes from a striking background—he compiled a 25-3 professional Muay-Thai record—who might have the advantage on the feet.
Aside from his unorthodox style, the Brazilian also possesses a four-inch reach advantage over Green. Reach can come into play if Barboza chooses to neglect his explosive striking repertoire for a more channeled approach. If he so chooses, he could keep the fight on the outside and away from a potential takedown by Green.
Although it’s not typically part of his game plan, Green can wrestle. He may not sport the highest of accolades held by many of mixed martial arts’ wrestling titans, but he has taken down the likes of Healy and Thomson. Still, it’s highly unlikely that we see any wrestling take place from these two sparkplugs. Both Green and Barboza defend the takedown at a clip of over 80 percent.
Both men are coming off of impressive victories and are looking to solidify themselves as top-10 lightweights. Green would appear to be the favorite based off of his wins over top-flight competition but one concern going into his fight with Barboza is how he will deal with the Brazilian’s power.
Green’s last three opponents have a total of 17 KO victories combined, while Barboza has 10 alone. There is also concern for the lack of power on Green’s end. Aside from his body-kick win over Krause, he hasn’t dropped, let alone ring the bell of, any of his UFC opponents. Because of the reach and activity of Barboza, Green will have to be as aggressive as he has ever been in the cage.
A win would reward Green with an opponent atop the heap of the 155-pound division. A fight with the winner of the Dec. 13 bout between Rafael Dos Anjos and Nate Diaz might seem logical, but then again, the winner may be clamoring for a title shot. A tussle with everyone’s favorite gate keeper, Jim Miller, would provide Green with a tough fight and a good measuring stick. Other intriguing scenarios include fights with: The loser of Anthony Pettis/Gilbert Melendez, the loser of Cerrone/Myles Jury and a scrap with injured Khabib Nurmagomedov.
All of this hinges upon Green getting past Barboza, which will be no easy task. It also depends on how quickly he recovers, and how quickly the remainder of these lightweights recover by the end of January, which is when we will have a much clearer picture of the lightweight division. If he’s smart, Green will take a look at what Cerrone did to embarrass Barboza in the first round this past summer.
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