King Green

Overview

Nine of King Green's 17 UFC wins came on the scorecards, yet he also has one of the fastest finishes you'll find on a lightweight résumé: 33 seconds against an elite opponent.

Green is a lightweight out of San Bernardino, California, fighting for Pinnacle MMA. His UFC record is 17-13-1 with one no contest, and he has been in the Octagon since 2012. Eight of those wins are finishes, five of them in the first round.

He is not a champion. He is a veteran who has beaten some of the better lightweights of his era and lost to others, sometimes in a hurry.

Win, lose, win, lose. That has been his UFC career in short.

UFC Career

Green's early UFC run was his cleanest. He submitted Jacob Volkmann in round 3 at UFC 156, stopped James Krause in round 1, then took decisions over Pat Healy and Josh Thomson, the latter by split decision. That was four wins in a row, still his longest streak.

Edson Barboza ended it by unanimous decision, and the next stretch was rough. Dustin Poirier knocked him out in round 1 at UFC 199. A split-decision loss to Rashid Magomedov and a split-decision draw with Lando Vannata followed. Erik Koch was a unanimous-decision win, but he dropped decisions to Drakkar Klose and Francisco Trinaldo after that.

In 2020 he rebuilt with three straight decisions over Clay Guida, Vannata in the rematch and Alan Patrick. He then lost to Thiago Moises and Rafael Fiziev before stopping Al Iaquinta in round 1 at UFC 268.

The biggest stage came on February 25, 2022, when he headlined against Islam Makhachev and lost by TKO in round 1. That fight was against an elite opponent by our model's tiers, and it began a run of five losses in six, with a no contest against Jared Gordon in between.

His best run since is the 2023 stretch. He submitted Tony Ferguson in round 3, then headlined against Grant Dawson and finished him at 0:33 of round 1. A first-round TKO loss to Jalin Turner followed.

Later highlights include a unanimous decision over Jim Miller at UFC 300, and 2026 wins over Daniel Zellhuber, Jeremy Stephens and Terrance McKinney, the last by TKO at 4:59 of round 1. His most recent fight was a round 1 TKO loss to Esteban Ribovics, so he carries a one-fight losing streak into his next bout.

Plenty of wins, plenty of losses, and rarely a boring night.

Fighting Style

Green is a busy striker who is hard to hit cleanly. He lands more per minute than most UFC fighters and is accurate with what he throws, and his defense is solid. He takes strikes at about the UFC average rate.

His takedown defense is a real strength, and he rarely shoots for takedowns himself. He almost never hunts submissions, yet he still has three UFC submission wins, including Tony Ferguson in round 3 and Jeremy Stephens in round 1.

His wins come in two flavors: 9 decisions and 8 finishes, 5 of them in round 1. Four of those first-round finishes were knockouts. His 6 KO/TKO losses are a reminder that he can be finished too.

Notable Wins

• Grant Dawson — KO/TKO, round 1 (0:33), UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs. Green (2023)
• Tony Ferguson — submission, round 3, UFC 291 (2023)
• Al Iaquinta — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC 268 (2021)
• Jim Miller — unanimous decision, UFC 300 (2024)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 17-13-1, 1 no contest
• Professional record (all promotions): 36-18-1
• UFC debut: 2012
• Team: Pinnacle MMA
• Height: 5'10", reach: 71"
• Born: San Bernardino, CA, United States