Bobby Green delivered an impassioned speech on the Black Lives Matter movement and has encouraged others to “please stop fighting.”
“King” Green used superior striking to secure a unanimous decision victory against Clay Guida at UFC on ESPN 11 last weekend.
The lightweight standout‘s strength and resilience might be down to the battles he has faced outside of the Octagon. As a child, Green’s mother was unable to care for him due to her ongoing drug habit, so she surrendered her son to the state. His father also spent much of his life in prison, and so the lightweight spent many years in and out of foster homes. Through his childhood experiences, Green met people from all different backgrounds and races. He developed what he described as a “chameleon” personality, where he found he was able to relate to different people.
Life changed forever for Green on May 31 in 2014. In San Bernadino, California, his younger brother, 23-year-old Mitchell Wayne Davis Jr., was shot in the chest and killed in a drive-by shooting. Three other men — two of Green’s uncles and a cousin — were wounded in the attack. Green’s father was there during the attack but missed the spray of bullets.
Green has experienced many life-altering events which have likely influenced the man he is today. They have also given him some perspective during the current time of conflict. The death of George Floyd during an arrest by police last month sparked international outrage. Individuals have since been protesting police brutality and the treatment of black citizens in America. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and social distancing restrictions have also contributed to civil unrest.
Following his successful victory against Clay Guida, Bobby Green took the opportunity to speak out and encourage people to choose love over hate.
“Right now at this time in our country, we are doing this whole ‘Black Lives Matter,’ everyone’s fighting, everyone’s looting.
“This is my father,” Green said with his arm around his non-biological father who raised him as he explained what happened to his biological parents. “I didn’t have a mother or father, they gave me away. My father wasn’t fit to be my father.
“This if my dad here, Jacob Benny,” Green said with his arm wrapped around his dad. “He’s been there since the beginning. He’s done everything, he lays his life down for me and I lay down my life for him. I don’t judge any man on the color of their skin but the content of their character. We’re here, we love. It doesn’t matter what color, it’s all about love.
“You can’t beat hate with hate, you beat hate with love. Everyone out there, please stop fighting. Please, come together, we can’t beat it that way. With Love.”
Watch the deeply touching video of Bobby Green with his father below.
“You can’t beat hate with hate. You beat hate with love. So, everyone out there, please stop fighting. Please, come together.”
Bobby Green brought his father on camera and spoke passionately about his beliefs after #UFCVegas3 pic.twitter.com/bn2QESAJd1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 21, 2020