Bobby Green maintained a positive attitude despite enduring a tough loss against Jalin Turner at UFC Austin.
During their lightweight co-headliner at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-10-1 UFC) was knocked down by Turner (14-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) early in the first round. The match then saw a prolonged series of ground shots while Green was already hurt, causing widespread outrage across the MMA community towards referee Kerry Hatley, who intervened later.
UFC CEO Dana White criticized the stoppage, labeling it “one of the worst I’ve ever seen.” Even Turner admitted that it was probably a referee’s misjudgment.
“(It was) one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” White told MiddleEasy and other reporters post-fight at UFC Austin. “The difference is we’ve had some refs say some dumb sh*t in the past, like, ‘I allowed her to be a warrior tonight,’ and goofy sh*t like that. He knows he made a mistake tonight and does not feel not feel good about it, so it’s unfortunate.”
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) December 3, 2023
Bobby Green Shows Strength in the Face of KO Loss to Jalin Turner
Surprisingly, Green didn’t express any anger towards Hatley in his initial statement after the defeat. Instead, he commended Turner for his performance.
“You win some, you lose some… I should show people [that] you’ve got to keep it G when you win, you’ve got to keep it G when you lose. Shout out to Jalin; you did your thing brother. I’m so happy for you. It means the world that you stepped up on short notice and you having your success. So, shout out to you. To all my people… [it’s] just another step in the career. There is ups, [and] there is downs. I’m going to keep it going. I ain’t going nowhere.”
Bobby Green’s reaction to his knockout loss, via his IG story pic.twitter.com/hXAYHjcPch
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) December 3, 2023
At 37 years old, Green arrived at UFC Austin riding a late-career wave, having secured victories in his previous two fights against Tony Ferguson and Grant Dawson. While the defeat to Turner proved challenging, Green emphasized that this setback doesn’t mark the end of his journey.
