Following two fights to start off his pro MMA career in 2021, heavyweight Austin Green ramped up his output in 2022 with three MMA fights and multiple grappling matches.
Though by the latter half of 2022 Green was feeling the effects of all his activity, he nonetheless had the kind of activity level he’d like to see for his career going forward.
“I feel like last year went pretty well,” Green told MMAWeekly.com. “I won three fights year. I had two finishes and one decision, so I feel like everything went pretty well.
“I like to stay active because it keeps me in shape and keeps me always motivated to have something to look forward to, whether it’s grappling or an MMA fight. By the end of the year I felt a little burnt out, but after that last fight I took a couple weeks off, re-energized myself, and then I was back at it.”
While being in the gym year-round to be ready for all the fights he had helped improve his game, the time off he’s had so far this year has paid dividends in Green’s eyes.
“I feel like I’m a way better fighter coming into this year than I was finishing out last year,” said Green. “I saw some things I needed to work on after my last fight. We’ve really be in the gym working on those, fine tuning things, getting things ready, and I feel like I’ve progressed a lot since my last fight.”
This Sunday in Houston, Texas, Green (5-0) will look to keep his undefeated ways going when he takes on Juan Adams (10-5) in the heavyweight main event of Fury FC 78.
“I feel like this is going to be my toughest match-up to date given the fact that this guy has a lot of fights under his belt,” Green said of Adams. “He’s fought for the UFC, he’s fought for the PFL, he’s super-experienced, and it’s definitely my most tested match up that will let me know if I can hang with those guys at the highest level.
“From what I’ve seen we’ve built a really solid game plan. We’ve seen what he likes to do and we’ve really worked to stop that and get the fight to where we want it to be at, which is on the feet.”
As he continues to work his way up in his career, Green feels like this year could be the one he makes the step up to the next level.
“Definitely by the end of the year I’m looking to have one or two fights in the UFC under my belt,” said Green. “At least I’d like to have to have one fight in the UFC hopefully before august. To have that one or two fights under my belt in the UFC would be the goal.”
Austin Green enters Fury FC 78 with an eye on the UFC
