Tag: Bobby Green

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Belal Muhammad & Tom Aspinall’s UFC 304 title wins, UFC on ABC 7 preview, more

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses UFC 304, previews UFC on ABC 7 in Abu Dhabi and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • The UFC welterweight division has a new king. [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] in a dominant decision win in the main event of UFC 304. This is a big shake up for the division. Who should be Muhammad’s first challenger? Where does Edwards go from here? We discuss.
  • In the co-main event of UFC 304, [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] retained his UFC interim heavyweight title by stopping [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in just 60 seconds. Did Aspinall prove he’s the best heavyweight on the planet? How does this result impact the expected title fight between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic? We break down the Englishman’s win, along with the state of the heavyweight division.
  • Aside from Muhammad and Aspinall’s wins, there were other important results at UFC 304. [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] viciously submitted veteran [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag][autotag]. [autotag]Muhammad Mokaev[/autotag] continued his unbeaten run, but may have seen his UFC career come to an end. [autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag],[autotag] Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] and [autotag]Arnold Allen[/autotag] picked up important wins. We discuss it all.
  • UFC on ABC 7 goes down Saturday, and the UFC has brought many impressive matchups to Abu Dhabi. From its main event in [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], to [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]’s return, the panel previews all the action.
  •  Beyond UFC 304 in Manchester and the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi, there has been plenty of news since the last Spinning Back Clique episode. We highlight the biggest headlines to close out the show.

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Paddy Pimblett delighted with UFC 304 stoppage win over Bobby Green: ‘I love shutting up haters’

Paddy Pimblett is happy to silence the critics once again.

MANCHESTER, England – Things didn’t work out for [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] haters Saturday.

The British star ran through longtime UFC lightweight [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] on the main card of UFC 304 in what’s now arguably the best win of his UFC career. Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) needed less than one round to put Green (32-16-1 MMA, 13-11-1 UFC) to sleep with a triangle choke; he also had an armbar locked in.

Many thought Green was going to be too tough of a test for Pimblett because it was his first ranked opponent in the UFC. But “The Baddy” is delighted he proved his critics wrong once again.

“Oh it’s great. You can’t beat shutting some d*ckheads up,” Pimblett told reporters at the UFC 304 post-fight press conference. “It’s f*cking brilliant. I love shutting up haters, lad.

“The amount of people say, ‘He’s never going to be ranked. He’ll never be good enough to be ranked. He’ll never be in the top 15,’ and all that. Even fighters I’ve seen on YouTube talking sh*t and then to just go out there and put on a flawless performance and absolutely school him (was great).”

Pimblett’s technical submission win came from his opponent looking for the grappling and not the other way around – which surprised many, including Pimblett himself.

“I was surprised he shot in at all,” Pimblett said when asked about Green’s takedown attempt. “He’s had some brilliant standup fights with people like the Jim Miller fight. He stood with Jailin Turner. He’s done three rounds with (Rafael) Fiziev, and he won the third round and people kept talking about that in the build up to this. But everyone underestimates me, lad, just because I look like a 14-year-old girl.”

In the short time the fight was standing, Pimblett did appear to be getting the better of the exchanges, which likely triggered the takedown attempt from Green. He believes his striking is very underappreciated and wants people to start respecting what he can do on the feet.

“As I said all week, people thought I was going to come in and shoot in – and as I told you all, I didn’t need to,” Pimblett explained. “People underestimate my striking, don’t think I can strike. I had a striker shooting in on me. I kept him at the end of my range and the end of my jab and using my kicks and stuff.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

UFC 304: King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC 304 odds between King Green vs. Paddy Pimblett, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round lightweight bout on the main card, King Green and Paddy Pimblett meet Saturday at UFC 304 at Co-op Live in Manchester, United Kingdom. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC 304: Green vs. Pimblett odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The early prelims begin at 6 p.m., and they can be viewed on ESPN+. The prelims begin 8 p.m. ET, and they can be viewed on ESPN2/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on Pay-Per-View (PPV).

Records: Green (32-15-1) | Pimblett (21-3-0)

Green bounced back from a 1st-round KO/TKO loss to Jalin Turner in early December with a unanimous-decision win over Jim Miller in mid-April at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. King is 3-1 in his past 4 fights since a no-contest against Jared Gordon in April 2023.

It’s a rarity to see Green fights go the judges’ cards as each of his past 6 bouts resulted in a finish inside the distance. Since a 1st-round KO/TKO win over Al Iaquinta at UFC 268 in November 2021, he has gone the distance just twice in the past 9 events. In fact, in 4 of the past 7 bouts, the fight hasn’t made it past the opening round.

For Pimblett, he is coming off back-to-back unanimous-decision wins over Tony Ferguson (Dec. 16, 2023) and Gordon (Dec. 10, 2022). Prior to that, he submitted Jordan Leavitt (July 2022) and Kazula Vargas (March 2022), while posting a 1st-round KO/TKO win over Luigi Vendramini (September 2021), showing off his versatility.

Since arriving at the UFC level, he has 2 wins by decision, 2 wins by submission and 1 KO/TKO victory. The Baddy can get it done in a number of different ways. In his career, Pimblett is 21-3-0, going 6-0 via KO/TKO and 9-1 by way of submission.

Pimblett has a number of things on his side. The Englishman will have a pro-home crowd spurring him on, and he holds a 2-inch reach advantage. Green has a 6.45-to-5.13 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while Pimblett is slightly more accurate with those strikes at 59.67% to 55.21% for Green.

Takedown average difference is negligible, but Paddy has a 1.63 submission average, so it might behoove King to keep this fight upright.

Watch the early prelims and prelims with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC 304: Green vs. Pimblett odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:25 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Green -112 (bet $112 to win $100) | Pimblett -104 (bet $104 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 2.5 rounds (Over -172 | Under +134)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -140 | No +110)

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UFC 304: Green vs. Pimblett picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

BACK PIMBLETT (-104). He will easily be facing the toughest opponent he has met at the UFC level as the veteran Green (-112) is a beast.

There isn’t a lot to glean, as far as common opponents, as Green had a no contest against Gordon, while Pimblett eased by Gordon via unanimous-decision.

However, what stands out is that this fight is in Manchester, which is the equivalent of Ivan Drago hosting Rocky in Moscow. It will be a pro-Paddy crowd, but the hometown fans aren’t likely to turn on Pimblett in the end.

BETTING PIMBLETT (-104) is the play here.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES (-140): FIGHT TO GO THE DISTANCE? isn’t priced out of line, and it is a good bet in this bout on the main card.

Green ended up going the distance in his last bout — vs. Miller — while Pimblett has needed the assistance of the judges to determine a winner in his past 2 fights. As the quality of opponent increases, so does the length of the bout. That will be especially true in this clash.

If you’re like a little more wiggle room, OVER 2.5 ROUNDS (-172) is a little pricey, but even if the fight ends in the 2nd half of Round 3 or beyond, you’re a winner.

Since we tabbed the Briton to win on the 2-way line, rolling the dice on PIMBLETT BY POINTS (+280) for the chance to nearly triple up on the method of victory prop is worth a light play.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC 304’s Paddy Pimblett: Bobby Green ‘a little bit chinny now’ after damage from Jalin Turner loss

Paddy Pimblett thinks UFC 304 opponent Bobby Green is still dealing with the affects of his brutal KO loss to Jalin Turner in December.

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will never be able to fully recover from his controversial stoppage loss to Jalin Turner in December, and that’s ultimately going to play to his advantage at UFC 304.

Green was the victim of a careless late stoppage from referee Kerry Hatley in his UFC on ESPN 52 bout with Turner in which he took multiple unnecessary blows while already unconscious. He bounced back just a few months later at UFC 300, though, defeating Jim Miller by unanimous decision to set up the July 27 showdown with Pimblett at RAC Arena in Manchester, England (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).

Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) vividly remembers watching live as Green (32-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) was battered by Turner. He disliked the stoppage as much as anyone, and in studying Green in advance of UFC 304, he’s concluded that result did irreparable damage to Green’s durability.

“That fight with Jalin, I was sitting in this room (where I’m doing this interview) watching it with my mate Blaze,” Pimblett told MMA Junkie. “We were both like, ‘Stop the fight, stop the fight.’ As much as he talked sh*t about me that fight week, I can remember turning to my lad Blaze and saying, ‘I know he spoke sh*t about me, but that’s f*cking disgusting. How has that ref allowed that to go on like that?’

“I do think it’s still affecting him because he got clipped with a few shots against Jim Miller, who is not a big puncher, and in the first round he looked a little bit (wobbly). He looked like Jim hurt him a little bit, I thought. Jim won the first round against Bobby. So I think he’s a little bit chinny now. Not even the Jalin Turner one. He got knocked out clean by Drew Dober as well a couple of months before that. He’s been knocked out a few times, but that Jalin Turner one – your chin is never the same after something like that.”

FULL INTERVIEW

Despite seeing a juicy target on Green’s head, Pimblett, 29, recently made headlines by suggesting a grappling-heavy fight at UFC 304.

Green previously stated that he doesn’t think Pimblett can submit him, and the Brit replied by daring his opponent to compete with him on the mat. That resulted in fan backlash toward Pimblett that he was reluctant to strike with Green, but he said that couldn’t be further from the case.

Pimblett isn’t bothered by any fan reaction toward him, however, and said that when UFC 304 arrives, he will be looking to put Green away in any manner he can.

“I just said, ‘You said I can’t submit you – grapple then with me, lad,'” Pimblett said. “I’m not saying I won’t strike with him, because I will. I’m going to come out, I’m going to try to take his head off his f*cking shoulders. If he’s saying that I can’t submit him and he can grapple with me – come and do it then. He put a picture up of his brown belt on his (Instagram) story. It’s like, f*cking hell, I got my brown belt when I was 21.”

“It’s crazy. I can’t say anything though, lad. Anything I say get’s spun and gets made to sound like I said something else, or people just jump on the hate bandwagon. It’s cool to hate ‘Paddy The Baddy’ at the minute.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.

Paddy Pimblett to Bobby Green: ‘Let’s see if you’ve got the balls to grapple with me’ at UFC 304

Paddy Pimblett doubts Bobby Green will tussle with him on the ground at UFC 304.

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] doubts [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will tussle with him on the ground at UFC 304.

Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) takes on Green (32-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) on the main card of the July 27 event at Co-op Live in Manchester, England (ESPN+ pay-per-view).

Pimblett recalls catching Green saying that he can’t submit him, and “The Baddy” challenges him to try and prove that theory inside the octagon.

“Bobby makes me laugh the way he keeps saying, ‘Paddy mentioned me first,'” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “Lad, someone reminded me about this yesterday: Remember when I was in San Diego with my wife, and you were sitting two rows behind me? Videoing on Instagram Live the back of my head, talking sh*t about me. Didn’t have the balls to come over and say nothing to my face. So, who was talking about who first? Definitely weren’t me. You were talking about me in 2021, 2022.

“But I also seen a story the other week, him saying, ‘Anyone can knock anyone out with a lucky punch, but Paddy you’re saying you’re going to submit me. You can’t submit me.’ Grapple with me then, lad. Back your word up. We both know that you can strike even though you’ve got no power. We both know that I’ll strike with you and that you can get knocked out. Grapple with me. Let’s see if you’ve got the balls to grapple with me after saying I won’t submit you.”

Nine of Pimblett’s professional wins have come by submission, including back-to-back over Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt in the UFC. Green also has nine submission wins on his resume, most recently an arm-triangle choke of Tony Ferguson at UFC 291.

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Bobby Green offers to fight Dan Hooker at UFC 305 after he fights Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304

Bobby Green is ready to double book himself if the UFC is willing to do it.

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] is ready to double book himself.

Green (32-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) is scheduled to face [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) July 27 at UFC 304 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) from Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

After fighting Pimblett, Green wants a quick turnaround for Aug. 17 at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, where he’ll already be to corner a teammate. With lightweight [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) looking for a fight, Green offered to be his dance partner.

“My plans are to fight Paddy and if I can, if the UFC let me, I want to fight in Perth, too,” Green said on his Instagram story (h/t UFC on TNT Sports). “You pick the person. I hear Dan Hooker is looking for a fight. I’ll fight Dan. I don’t care. All I need is you to do me this favor.

“Work on them taxes because I’m not trying to give up 90K in f*cking taxes to Australia. But, if my plans go right, fight Paddy in (Manchester), and I already got to go for my boy Alex Reyes’ fight, so I’m already going to be out there. I might as well fight, too. So if y’all can make that happen, UFC, let’s make it happen.”

Green has won three of his past four, most recently battering veteran Jim Miller at UFC 300 in April.

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‘King’ Bobby Green announces official name change. So about that nickname …

t’s good to be king, and now Bobby Green likely is good being an actual “King” and not just a presumed one.

It’s good to be king, and now [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] is good being an actual “King” and not just a presumed one.

For years, Green’s nickname has been “King.” Recently, he said he was planning an official name change, and Sunday he posted video on Instagram that indicated he’s gone through with it.

“King” Bobby Green now has an official legal document making him Bobby King. Green showed video of what he said was his birth certificate, along with a second legal document showing the amended name.

Now perhaps the question is what his nickname will change to and what Bruce Buffer is going to do, because the way it stands now, he’s “King” Bobby King, and a simple swap would turn him into “Green” Bobby King,” and that doesn’t seem ideal.

But it appears King Green is where things will land.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9IZA5Dvy58/

Green has been on arguably the best run of his career the past year. He choked out former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 291 less than a year ago for a $50,000 bonus. He got another extra check 10 weeks later when he knocked out Grant Dawson, who hadn’t lost before, in just 33 seconds.

After a loss to Jalin Turner, he rebounded in April with a decision win over Jim Miller at UFC 300 for wins in three of his past four fights. That’s his best run in a decade, since he won his first four UFC bouts after he came to the promotion following the Strikeforce merger.

In less than three weeks, Green (31-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) has a big opportunity when he takes on highly touted former Cage Warriors champion Paddy Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) on enemy turf at UFC 304 in Manchester.

Pimblett, an up-and-comer in the MMA world of trash talk, didn’t take long to seize on an opportunity to predict a win over Green with a Photoshopped image of himself as a “Game of Thrones”-ian warrior and called himself the “Kingslayer.” That character on “Game of Thrones,” Jamie Lanister, was known for, well, uhhh, slaying a king. And also for having all kinds of sexy time with his sister, which is obviously not cool. But presumably, Pimblett only meant “Kingslayer” as a reference to his opponent’s name and not, ya know, the other stuff.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9IpPhMM7ig

Check out Green’s … err, KING’S … King Green’s … Instagram video and brief comments above. And below, if you want to relive the kind of destruction one of the lightweight division’s best boxers can cause, check out how Miller walked away from UFC 300 in April.

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Bobby Green def. Jim Miller at UFC 300: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Bobby Green’s unanimous decision win over Jim Miller at UFC 300.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] at UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos by Mark J. Rebilas, USA Today Sports and Carmen Mandato, Getty Images)

Jared Gordon eyes winner of Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett after UFC on ABC 6

Jared Gordon has unfinished business with both Bobby Green and Paddy Pimblett.

[autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag] has unfinished business with both [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag].

Gordon’s former foes Green (32-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) and Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will square off July 27 at UFC 304 in Manchester, England.

Gordon (20-6 MMA, 8-5 UFC) lost a controversial decision to Pimblett in December 2022. Four months later, his fight against Green at UFC Fight Night 222 ended in a no contest after an accidental clash of heads led to Gordon being knocked out unconscious.

“The thing is with Bobby, he’s so unpredictable,” Gordon told Middle Easy. “You don’t know what you’re going to get from him, and when he gets going, then he wins. But he’s liable to get hit, and Paddy goes for it. Hands are down, he’s got that swag – Paddy goes for it. If you watch my fight, my hands were up the whole time when I fought Paddy, and I won. But f*cking look what Bobby Green did to me: I’m beating him and then he just lunged in with his head.

“That had to be on purpose because he was frustrated because he was like, he didn’t expect me to do what I was doing. I was winning that fight. So I think Paddy can get it done, too. I think if Bobby gets going, Paddy can’t have an off night. He’s got to get going right away. He can’t let Bobby set a rhythm. Once Bobby sets the rhythm, then he starts getting confident and then he starts doing well. But obviously Paddy is also unpredictable and can land a big shot or take you down and sub you. So I don’t know, man. I want the winner though.”

Gordon meets Nasrat Haqparast at UFC on ABC 6 June 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He recognizes that talks of a rematch between him and Pimblett has lost steam, but he plans on being in Manchester to support his friend Belal Muhammad, who challenges welterweight champion Leon Edwards in the UFC 304 headliner.

“It’s been over a year and his fight against Tony (Ferguson), he destroyed him – but he still didn’t look great,” Gordon said. “And then all of his other opponents, Paddy, like, he destroyed them – so what does that say about where I’m at?

“I’m not trying to pat myself on the back, but I think they want to stay away from that fight, me vs. Paddy, because they saw what I did in the first one. I think it would be awesome to fight Paddy in a co-main or a main event in London or something, or in Vegas again.”

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Paddy Pimblett accuses ‘proper sh*t human being’ Bobby Green of lying after UFC 304 booking

As much as Paddy Pimblett laid into Bobby Green with some choice words, he also spoke well of him as a fighter ahead of UFC 304.

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] had some choice words for [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag].

Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) takes on Green (32-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) on July 27 at UFC 304 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) from Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

After battering Jim Miller at UFC 300, a fired-up Green took umbrage with Pimblett mentioning his name and proceeded to call him out. He got his wish, but Pimblett denies ever talking about Green first.

“He’s a proper tool, lad,” Pimblett told The Mac Life. “He’s a proper weapon. The funniest one is he says he mentioned me. I didn’t mention you. You mentioned me first. So then I mentioned you, you little sausage.

“Everyone talks about me, so it’s all the same. He’s just a proper tool, lad. I think he’s a proper sh*t human being. He’s just a proper wanker, lad. He’s saying that I mentioned him first. He’s just lying. Why would I mention you? Why would I mention Bobby Green, lad?”

Pimblett praised Green’s striking but thinks his recent knockout loss to Jalin Turner this past December impacted his chin – and plans on capitalizing on that.

“He’s got very good striking,” Pimblett said. “He’s got good hands, but his chin’s gone after what happened with Jalin Turner. Jim Miller’s no knockout artist, and he wobbled him once or twice in that fight on UFC 300. I think that is off Jalin Turner absolutely obliterating Bobby Green’s skull into the canvas.

“His striking’s very good, his takedown defense is good, and that’s what he’s going to try and do. He’s just going to try and use his takedown defense to keep it on the feet because he thinks he’ll outstrike me. As I say, his chin’s gone, so strike with me. We’ll see what happens. I can see me knocking him out. I can see me submitting him.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.