It’s the fight before the fight. It’s why most of the athletes in the UFC will say that three or five rounds with an opponent trained to beat them is the fun part of this job. Because by the time the Octagon door shuts, if they’ve made it to that point, they’ve won already.
Bobby Green knows both sides of that coin. He’s arrived in the Octagon firing on all cylinders and delivered performances that established him as one of the top lightweights in the world. He’s also showed up on fight night with any number of ailments and wasn’t able to perform at an optimum level.