Bobby “King” Green’s return to the Octagon will have to wait. The UFC lightweight veteran was set to face Carlos Diego Ferreira at UFC 319 in Chicago, but just days before fight night, the bout was scrapped due to injury.
The cancellation was one of two fights pulled from the card on Thursday. UFC officials have not revealed the specifics of Green’s injury, but the veteran made it clear this was not a decision he took lightly.
Green, who has only withdrawn from one other fight in the last six years, addressed his situation in an emotional video, revealing he is currently on crutches.
“I worked so hard to get here. I went through a lot of b——- to get here,” Green said. “Back in the day, I’ve had pull-outs, but somewhere along the line I said, I’m not ever pulling out of a fight. If I gotta f—— limp my a– there, I’ll limp into the cage, but I’m never pulling out. This one is a little bit different. I can’t even f—– walk, guys.”
Green explained that if it were an injury like a broken hand, he would still compete, but this time he had no choice.
“If I had a broken hand, I wouldn’t say nothing. I would fight. And so I’m sorry to anybody I let down. I let myself down even more than that, you know? It just sucks to take this stuff, bro. I got things to do. I got people that look up to me and need me. Got the f—— crutches right here to f—— b——- you not, bro. It is what it is, man. I’m really sorry and thank you for everyone that really rides with me. This s— is really appreciated and I’m really sorry.”
Heading into UFC 319, Green was looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses to Paddy Pimblett and Mauricio Ruffy. Ferreira was also chasing redemption after a decision loss to Grant Dawson at UFC 311 ended his two-fight win streak.
With Green vs. Ferreira off the card, UFC 319 will move forward with 14 bouts, including the highly anticipated middleweight championship clash between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. The promotion has yet to announce which fight will replace Green vs. Ferreira as the featured ESPN preliminary bout.
