King Green Wants 20 Percent After Ribovics Misses Weight
King Green treated a half-pound miss like a payday once Esteban Ribovics failed to make weight for their UFC 332 main-card fight. Ribovics hit 156.5 pounds at Friday’s weigh-ins in Salt Lake City, a half-pound over the non-title lightweight limit, while Green made 155.5.
The UFC kept the bout and moved it to a catchweight. Ribovics, the only fighter on the 28-person card to miss, forfeits 20 percent of his purse to Green ahead of Saturday’s show at the Delta Center. “Sh*t, damn.
My opponent was nowhere to be seen,” Green said on a KICK stream as the scale drama played out. “He got 50 minutes. If he don’t make weight, taxing that check, taxing that ass.”He did not wait for the official announcement to start counting.
“Take 20% and bust me off some of that money,” Green said. “I’ll be always hoping my opponents don’t make weight. Still gonna fight your b*tch ass, but we gonna get some of that money.” A text from his manager settled it. “My manager texted me right now, said 20%,” he said, then asked the people around him, “Are you doing the money dance? Doing the money dance, you know what I mean?”
The user-facing clip and the reaction that followed carried the line that traveled fastest. “I’m getting that 20%! I want it in $1 bills. Imma bring it all back to my girls in the club.” On the stream he put it in the same place. “I’m bringing all to my girls back at the club,” Green said. “No tip for all y’all, you know what I’m saying?”
Green also used the miss to reject any short-notice excuse. “I got 28 days, I had less than what he had, he had four weeks,” he said. “He didn’t make weight, guys. He haven’t getting that 20%, guys.” The second attempt behind the curtain did not remove the half-pound, and Green was already looking at a drained Ribovics on a phone. “Hey, he look drained, fool,” someone with him said.
The financial hit is narrower than a canceled fight and wider than a fine. MMA Fighting confirmed the catchweight and the 20 percent purse shift, and Ribovics is also ineligible for a post-fight performance bonus, which is why Green said, “I ain’t gonna get the fight bonus, so I’ll do it, you know what I’m saying?” He closed the bit with the same energy he brought to the UFC 332 press conference, where he told the room the fight was there to steal the show. “You gonna break the bank today. I’ll break the bank.”
UFC 332 is Saturday at the Delta Center, with the main card on Paramount+ and CBS at 8 p.m. ET. Natalia Silva and Wang Cong both made weight for the vacant women’s flyweight title, and Green against Ribovics remains on the main card at catchweight, with 20 percent of the Argentine’s purse already assigned to the man who made 155.5.
