UFC’s Gabe Green thinks lightweight debut win a sign of what’s to come
UFC Fight Night 256 winner Gabe Green talks to MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight after his second-round submission of Matheus Camilo.
LAS VEGAS – UFC’s Gabe Green is going wherever God takes him.
In his first fight at lightweight under the UFC banner, Green (12-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) denied Matheus Camilo a successful debut in the promotion. The bout took place on the UFC Fight Night 256 prelims at the UFC Apex. Green ended things with a submission in the second round.
For Green, it was the end of a two-fight skid, and also the mark of a new beginning as a lightweight competitor. After dropping back-to-back fights to Ian Machado Garry and Bryan Battle at 170 pounds, Green believes he’s in the right place because his faith his guiding him in the proper direction.
“After my last couple, this two years off is when I really, really grown with Christianity and stuff, and done a deep dive into that,” Green told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “Read the Bible more, and really dove into scripture – that’s where I am right now. So, going into it, I was like, you know what, if God wants me here, I’ma be here. If God doesn’t want me here, I’m not gonna be here.
“Like I said, I’m not chasing gold. I’m not chasing this, I’m not chasing that. I’m just chasing Jesus, so it is what it is.”
Green’s rear-naked choke submission win was his first since 2018 and his sixth overall as a professional fighter. The 32-year-old Californian recalled a story about history repeating itself, and he very well could be on a path toward big things if things truly do come back around.
“It’s funny because before I got to the UFC, I had tons of rear-naked chokes on my record,” Green said. “They would just throw their necks at me sometimes, you know? One of the last things that happened, I was in a sauna about a week before, and I was just talking to some random guy in the sauna. We’re going back and forth about religion. He wasn’t necessarily a Christian, but I was bringing up the Bible about certain things like that. Then he ended with saying something with, ‘History repeats itself. It’s cyclical.’ I was just like, ‘Huh.’ Ever since then, that little phrase that he ended with has been on my mind. … Sure enough, it’s gone back to the rear-naked chokes.
“The last time I lost two fights in a row, I went on a winning streak that ended with me getting a belt. Let’s see what he meant by that. Let’s see what God meant by that. Maybe God was speaking through him. Like I said, I’m not God. All I can do is look back retrospectively and be like, ‘Oh, that’s what he meant.’ Like I said, I submit to his plan, and I’m just here, happy just to watch it unfold.”
