Fortunes can change rapidly in mixed martial arts, and Desmond Green is no stranger to this reality.
The 25-year-old New York native ended his 2014 campaign with everything firing at full force and standing in the best position of his young career. The Predator stamped his place on the larger MMA radar by defeating former WEC standout and renown veteran Miguel Torres in his promotional debut for Titan FC in October 2014, then followed up that performance by working over another former UFC veteran in Steven Siler to become the Titan FC featherweight champion by year’s end.
Those wins, and the performances Green doled out in obtaining them, earned the surging talent acclaim and moved him one step closer to a getting the call to compete in the UFC. The highly touted prospect entered 2015 determined to secure that final step to achieving his dream of competing inside the Octagon, and his first order of business was to defend his featherweight title against Kurt Holobaugh at Titan FC 33 in Mobile, Alabama.
It was a fight Green was confident he could win, and when the final bell sounded was certain he did, but when the judges’ scorecards were read, the reality of the moment began to set in. To say Green was shocked would be an understatement, and the sting of coming out on the short end of that split decision is one that has fueled every step toward his bout against Vince Eazelle at Titan FC 34 this Saturday night.
“That was a really controversial loss, and I’m not going to sit here and lie and act like I’m over it,” Green told Bleacher Report. “That s–t hurt. I felt like I was robbed. As a fighter you are supposed to have a short memory, but I still keep it in the front of my mind just to make sure it never happens again from here on out. I need to go in there every time I fight and leave no questions on the table by getting the finish or winning in convincing fashion.
“That fight has been my motivation throughout this entire camp, especially with me not being granted the immediate rematch. That made it sting even more, but I know this is a business. I have faith in Jeff and the entire Titan organization. They know what they are doing and it is what it is.”
On top of the disdain Green is feeling in the aftermath of losing his title, issues in his life outside of competition have demanded his attention as well. At the midway point of his training camp to face Eazelle at Titan FC 34, Green’s daughter Dahlia was born three months premature, and the fighter had to deal with the harrowing reality of watching his newborn fight for her life inside of an Intensive Care Unit.
Those circumstances would bring anyone’s world to a halt, but Green never lost faith in his daughter’s ability to pull through. He watched every day as her tiny body continued to fight for survival, and it inspired him to pour every bit of frustration and emotion into a positive realm as he drew closer to stepping in for his family’s livelihood inside the cage.
In the lead up to Titan FC 34 his daughter would claim a clean bill of health, and now Green is ready to show her just what kind of fighter her daddy is at Titan FC 34.
“This camp has been a little bit weird because I just had a daughter a few weeks ago and she was born prematurely,” Green said. “She was delivered at 23 weeks, so that means she was three months early. She was born the size of my hand, but I’m a Christian and sent up a lot of prayers to God. Thankfully, she was able to come out of it all completely healthy and I truly feel blessed. She has to stay in the hospital for the next three months, but she’s doing good.
“It’s been hard having to train while having my daughter in ICU, but it’s also provided a different form of motivation. At the end of the day, without me fighting and doing what I do there is no way for me to provide for my family. It’s hard but it’s necessary. This is what I have to do, and those circumstances create a will to win most people will never understand.
“I’m dedicating this win I’m about to get to my little baby girl,” he added. “She’s a fighter and came out strong so I have to show her that daddy is the same way. I’ll be happy to get this win and get back home to her.”
As the fight with Eazelle draws closer, the rest of Green’s world beyond fighting has begun to fade away, and the pursuit of victory has become the primary focus. The former featherweight champion knows he’s facing a fellow highly touted prospect with a solid amount of buzz surrounding him, but in Green’s mind none of that matters.
After going through the loss to Holobaugh and coming out on the positive end of what could have been a devastating family tragedy, a different type of animal has emerged. Green is ready to show the world what he’s made of, and with Titan FC’s recent partnership with the UFC to broadcast all future events on Fight Pass, he knows his biggest moment to shine is about to come front and center.
In Green’s mind, that is the perfect situation to make a definitive statement, and that’s precisely what he intends to do on Saturday night.
“Vince is a tough guy, but he’s honestly at the wrong place at the wrong time,” Green said. “I have a ton of things going on in my life and I need to expend that energy on somebody. It’s all going to come out on him. With what I’ve gone through with my daughter and all the anger built up from my last fight, there aren’t going to be anymore games in there. This fight won’t go to the judges.
“With everything I have on my mind and losing the belt because I got robbed in my last fight, I’m flipping all of that into positive energy heading into this fight. I’m focused, and nothing outside of the cage is distracting me at all. It’s been almost four months since my last fight and that’s a lot of time to have things built up like they are. I have a lot of energy and steam to get off my shoulders. I plan on using him to make a statement. Best of luck to him, but I’m bringing everything I have inside that cage.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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