How UFC champ Daniel Cormier was catalyst for UFC on FOX 27's Bobby Green

CHARLOTTE – Credit Daniel Cormier for turning Bobby Green around.

It was the UFC light heavyweight champion who told Green he’d lost a step amid a streak of losses. He wondered where Green’s infectious energy had gone in fights.

“I was like, ‘Interesting,'” Green (23-8-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC), who fights Erik Koch (14-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) at UFC on FOX 27, told MMAjunkie. “One thing I learned was that I started paying attention to the comments and hearing what the world thinks. And I learned that you shouldn’t read the comments.

“I was like, ‘Daniel, I’m going to do this, just for you telling me that. I’m going to kick it back into another gear.'”

UFC on FOX 27 takes place Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The event’s main card airs live on FOX following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

When Green returned to the octagon this past October, he stayed true to his word. He brought back the unpredictable style and bravado that thrilled the audience. He fell short of a victory, fighting to a draw with Lando Vannata at UFC 216, but he won a “Fight of the Night” bonus and stopped his slide.

Now Green is resolved to keep things rolling. He’s taken the steps he believes he needs to be in the right mindset on fight night.

One of the shifts is the hiring of a new coach, Sam Mason. Green said he’s now motivated by positive reinforcement rather than negative. No longer is he squabbling about his from the first week of training. He’s looking at his upcoming fight with different eyes.

“My old coach, I think he wanted to motivate me with fear: ‘This is going to be the biggest fight, it’s going to be the hardest fight you’ve ever had,'” Green said. “My current coach is just like: ‘Hey, this is a glorified striking match. It’s another walk in the park you do all the time. This guy, you’re supposed to walk through him.’ And now, I have that mindset: I’m going to walk through him.”

Of course, he needs some help from Koch on that front. It won’t work much if his opponent is stalling for 15 minutes.

“I hope he can be a good dance partner,” Green said. “After fighting Lando, I realize certain guys make good fights and certain guys don’t. I hope it’s going to be a good fight. I aim to please. I aim to get a ‘Fight of the Night’ – it lets me know I’m going my job.”

If he is, Green said it won’t be hard for him to stand out. When he brings his energy to the cage, he said, he’s in a category all his own.

“My show is like a concert, like a comedy show, a rap show and a fight all rolled into one,” he said. “I used to call my style poetry in motion. It’s just poetry that you’re seeing. Give you something deep that’s impactful. I like to leave the audience with my heart.”

Watch the above interview to see the one and only Bobby Green talk about his fight.

And for more on UFC on FOX 27, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.