Dana White Agrees King Green Is a Fit for the BMF Title
Dana White agreed at the UFC 332 press conference that King Green would be the right kind of fighter for a BMF title bout if he gets past Esteban Ribovics on Saturday. A reporter framed the symbolic belt as a prize for fighters who take fan-friendly matchups, and White did not push back.
The question came with Green still one fight away from any such conversation. “Like the BMF title at its core is, you know, the people that fight for the fans, the guys that take fights anytime, anyplace, anywhere,” the reporter said.
“Obviously, we’ve got a fight on Saturday night, he’s got to deal with Esteban Ribovics, but if all goes his way, is that not the perfect guy to fight for the BMF title?” White answered from the podium. “I do not disagree with you,” he said. “I, I, I absolutely agree.”
Green heard it. “Let’s go!” he said from the table. “Sh*t, I need my strap.” Ribovics, seated nearby in a light jacket, clapped and smiled while the exchange landed. White did not name an opponent, a date, or a purse, and he did not say the bout was being booked.
Saturday’s assignment is still the one on the contract. Green and Ribovics meet in the lightweight feature at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, with the card airing on CBS and Paramount+. The main event is Natalia Silva against Wang Cong for the vacant women’s flyweight title. A Sherdog preview listed Ribovics at minus-250 and Green at plus-205.
The 40-year-old Green is 36-17-1 with one no contest, and 18-8 inside the UFC. He has won four in a row, a split decision over Lance Gibson Jr. in December, then 2026 stoppages of Daniel Zellhuber, Jeremy Stephens, and Terrance McKinney. The McKinney finish came in the first round at UFC 329. That run followed losses to Paddy Pimblett and Mauricio Ruffy, the stretch that made the rebound the story of his year.
Ribovics is 16-3 and has been the sharper betting favorite. Sherdog’s preview described him as a pressure fighter who has mostly been troubled by wrestlers, and Green as the slicker counterpuncher he has faced in the UFC. Green has said he wants to earn a BMF look rather than be handed one. White’s answer put the same condition on it: Saturday comes first.
The BMF belt has never been a ranked championship. It has been used for fights the promotion sells as action matches, which is the standard the reporter used when he asked about Green.
White’s agreement puts Green in that conversation only if the Ribovics fight goes his way. The lightweight bout is Saturday night in Salt Lake City, and nothing beyond that result has been announced.
