Athletes
King Green's Story Continues
Lightweight Veteran Discusses Lengthy Career, Potential Exit Ahead Of UFC 313 Clash With Mauricio Ruffy
Most athletes that compete at the highest level of their sport will tell you that, without question, they absolutely love the game they play, the craft they pursue, the game that serves as their occupation and means of putting money in the bank, food on the table, and roofs over heads.
King Green has never and will never be most anything.
“The crazy thing is you say, ‘Something I love,’ but this is not something I love,” corrected the 38-year-old lightweight veteran when asked about continuing to compete and using his position on the UFC roster to show those that come from similar circumstances that you can create better for yourself. “You get locked in there with another pit bull and it’s to the death, that’s not something you can love, but it speaks to the determination: I was willing to do anything, anything to get myself out of financial poverty.
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“It’s something I had to do, and I figured, I’m so used to fighting and I’ve got this thing kinda down to where I could make some money off of it. I thought I was being smart. But it is a ruthless sport where anything is possible, and you might not come out the same.
“You gotta like it to do it, but, at the same time, the idea of it?” he continued, acquiescing to the fact that there are elements of the sport that he enjoys when pushed to define his relationship with the sport he’s been competing in for the last 18 years. “If I’m just at the gym and we’re just having fun, it sounds cool, but when we’re talking about to the death and they’re locking you in there with the world’s best — the strongest pit bulls they can find — and they’re telling you, ‘Go in there and see if you can live?’”
Green shakes his head, making it clear that the final part has never and will never sit all that well with him.
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But that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop making the walk, because, as previously mentioned, this has always been about something much bigger than him stepping into the Octagon to compete.
Born in San Bernardino, California, Green entered foster care at age five and bounced from home to home to home to home to home. He found wrestling in high school and then mixed martial arts, but has dealt with tremendous loss, including the passing of his beloved grandmother and the death of his younger brother, as well as the shooting of his older brother.
Bobby Green | Career Retrospective
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Bobby Green | Career Retrospective
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Cast for many years as a disruptor, the reality is that Green has always been about uplifting his community and taking care of his people, which remains his driving force to this day.
“Man, it means the world,” he said when asked about navigating everything he’s endured to stand as a symbol of what is possible for those dealing with similar challenges, whether in Inland Empire or elsewhere. “Showing people that you can come from nothing — being in 50 different homes; I’ve lived off peoples’ crumbs, slept on the streets, and more — and to go from that to this, it’s an honor and a blessing.
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“I’m just trying to write the story and show people ‘don’t give up; have determination, have true grit’ and that you can dig deep through the wins and losses.
“I’ve taken so many Ls — not just inside of the cage, but outside of the cage — and I’m still fighting and I’m not gonna stop.”
Figuratively, he’s not going to stop, but in the literal sense, the 26-fight UFC veteran knows that he’s going to have to walk away eventually.
As of right now, the marker he’s set for himself is not a certain number of fights or any one victory in particular, but rather the continued presence of a recent opponent.
“I was asking myself, ‘When am I gonna get the hell outta here?’ but then I saw Jim Miller had another fight, and I was like, ‘This guy’s still going? I can’t leave before this guy!’” Green said, breaking into laughter, a massive smile washing over his face. “I can’t leave before him. He’s gotta go before me, so I’ve still got more in me.”
As we laugh, I inform Green that Miller, whom he defeated last April at UFC 300, wants to get to 50 appearances inside the Octagon before finally hanging up his gloves, and with him currently sitting on 45 following his win over Damon Jackson at UFC 309 in November, he’s still got a few more in him.
Which means Green does too, right?
“He wants to get to 50?” Green asked, astounded. “Damn. Holy s***! How many do I got? Do I got that much in me? I think I’m at 20-something.”
Saturday’s bout against Mauricio Ruffy will be Green’s 27th appearance under the UFC banner.
“Holy s*** — that means I gotta do 23 more fights?” he said, chuckling, when informed where he’s at. “Jim, I hate you. I may have beat you, but you got the last laugh on me.”
One person Green has no interest in allowing to have the last laugh is Ruffy, the intriguing Dana White’s Contender Series graduate and Fighting Nerds representative who posted a pair of wins in his rookie campaign last year as part of the Sao Paulo-based outfit’s breakthrough year in the Octagon in 2024.
Touted by team leader and UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho as the most talented member of the team, Ruffy blew people away with his debut win over Australian veteran Jamie Mullarkey, but struggled more than most anticipated in his sophomore appearance against James Llontop later in the year.
A dynamic and creative striker, Green is looking forward to sharing the Octagon with someone that could try to match his swagger, but is focused on showing the rising star that he’s not yet at his level.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s gonna be interesting — see how you dance and how I dance; how we’re gonna mingle and how this is gonna work out,” he said excitedly in regard to Ruffy potentially trying to match some of his flamboyance and showmanship on Saturday night. “It should be real interesting.
“He’s talented and he does some smooth, slick stuff, but he ain’t seen anything like me yet,” he added. “Wait ’til we get in there — I’m gonna change this s*** up so much on him; he wasn’t ready for this.”
In a career filled with ups and downs, and a life that has been even more tumultuous, the fact that Green continues to make the trek into battle two or three times year, no matter the outcome of his previous assignment, remains a testament to his perseverance, and his uncanny ability to roll with the punches, inside, as well as outside of the cage.
“It’s just the story,” he said of his impressive resolve. “I understand my skills and my abilities, I understand what was going on in these different fights, why people were victorious and why (different things) happened, and you just write the story and do the best you can.”
UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!