Four months ago, Bellator ousted president and CEO, Bjorn Rebney and replaced him with former Strikeforce president, Scott Coker. The new Coker regime would waste no time making changes to the organization, immediately sacking more than 20 fighters and ending the tournament format after this season that just wrapped last Friday night.
Among those fighters that got a pink slip, was a young man by the name of Desmond Green. A featherweight with a solid resume, Green was one of releases that made me scratch my head, as he has only recorded one loss in his last 4 fights and holds a win over current UFC standout, Rob Font.
Shortly after his release, “The Predator” would find his way into Jeff Aronson’s promotion, Titan FC and be named the co-main event in his very first outing with the organization. That first fight of his contract just happens to be tonight against former WEC bantamweight champion, Miguel Torres.
Having your employment terminated is never something one can prepare for, especially if it could be unwarranted. While at the time, he felt wronged, Green feels that his luck actually changed for the better since then.
Yeah, I was upset about it, but you know, it’s a business. I don’t really understand, but they obviously had their reasons for it. I was surprised, that’s for sure. All I got was an e-mail from them after Coker took over. No phone call, just a letter. It wasn’t even a letter, it was an e-mail [laughs]. After that, I got hooked up with Titan, and then with my management team at Alchemist.
I’ve been able to leave my old gym, Bombsquad, where I only had two people to train with, and am now at Tristar with a bunch of active fighters and a real training program. Don’t get me wrong, my training partners were great at Bombsquad, but there’s just not anybody really there that actively fights these days. Everything that happened kind of led me to a better path for my career.
When considering his future, the UFC is the pinnacle, as it is with nearly every young fighter starting out. In the featherweight division, Conor McGregor’s name is one that inspires mixed emotions, but for Green, he represents motivation.
I like the way he acts, I like the way he portrays himself, I like the way he handles his business. I think he’s great and I’d love to fight him one day. I don’t think there’s anybody in the UFC at 145 that has my ability, and with the proper training, I feel I can beat any one of those guys. I look at him as motivation. I hope he keeps knocking people out and winning. Eventually, I’ll be coming for him. I’m young and hungry just like he is.
Desmond Green faces off against Miguel Torres tonight in the co-main event in Tampa, FL. Preliminary action for Titan FC 31 begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and the main card airs on the CBS Sports Network beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m PT.
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