Maurice Greene helped lead Jon Jones to a UFC heavyweight title.
Now, “Bones” gets to repay the favor as Greene prepares for his PFL 5 main event against 2022 PFL heavyweight champion Ante Delija. The battle gets underway TONIGHT (Fri., June 16, 2023) on ESPN from OTE Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
A victory for “The Crochet Boss” — who captured his first PFL victory by stopping Marcelo Nunes at PFL 2 last April — will result in a spot in the upcoming PFL playoffs. Delija, however, will need to secure a finish to advance.
“It will feel like Michael Jordan trying to help Ja Morant out with his situation,” Green told MMAmania.com. “You know, it would mean the world to him. It’s one of those things where it’s like, man, it doesn’t get any better. Jon is the best MMA fighter in the world. He’s a heavyweight champ, former light heavyweight king. He’s the heavyweight king. To have him giving you the insight, I’m grateful. I’m literally watching a fight right now as we speak. Jon looks at fighting way differently than I do. His IQ is up here. This is stuff that money can’t even buy. It’s invaluable and it’s so critical for my growth. I’m 37 I’m still learning. So I’ll be ready.”
Greene (11-7) made a name for himself on Season 28 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) prior to crossing over to UFC in late 2018. The 6’7” heavyweight parted ways with the promotion after compiling a 4-4 record inside the Octagon. That led to a pit stop at CES MMA on the regional circuit — and a technical knockout victory — before signing with PFL in early 2022.
Tonight’s fifth PFL regular season event of 2023 will also feature 2022 women’s lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco, who returns to the PFL SmartCage in a matchup against featherweight knockout artist Amber Leibrock. Elsewhere on the card, Aspen Ladd looks to blast her way back into the win column at the expense of Karolina Sobek.
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