​King Green delivered the most dramatic comeback of his career with a first-round knockout of Terrance McKinney on Saturday’s UFC 329 main card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Just shy of 40, Green methodically wore down the younger, rising contender, pounding his body and ripping through rights that compelled McKinney to turn his back as the assault intensified. The finish came when Green, bloodied and seemingly on the ropes midway through the round, uncorked a relentless sequence that left McKinney unable to answer the bell.
Green’s rally was nothing short of heroic. He absorbed a flurry of blows in the opening minutes, with McKinney landing a variety of punches and mounting pressure that threatened to tilt the contest decisively in the new-to-late-career star’s favor. Yet Green, who stood at 36-17-1 (1 NC) entering the night, refused to stay down. He taunted McKinney on the mic, labeling him a “one-minute b***h” as the tide began to turn, despite having trailed on the scorecards for much of the round.
“I felt him slowing down, so it was only a matter of time before I caught up to him,” Green, 39, said after the fight, his voice barely concealing the explosion of adrenaline and relief. And catch up he did. Green closed the distance with precision, landing a decisive body shot and following with a rapid-fire volley of right hands that forced McKinney to retreat and ultimately surrender his posture. The finish arrived just one second before the bell, capping one of MMA’s most remarkable late-career surges.
The win was hard-earned in a battle that showcased Green’s grit and resilience. He endured a challenging start: an early cut opened on his eyebrow, and he absorbed punishing body shots while fending off McKinney’s takedown attempts, mount, and ground-and-pound. For long stretches, it appeared the storied veteran might not survive the round. But Green’s experience and tenacity carried him through, and he remained composed enough to scramble free from danger, return the fight to the feet, and turn the momentum with measured, decisive strikes.
McKinney (18-9) had his moment earlier in the bout, and for a time, it looked like he might seize control and capitalize on Green’s opening flurry. The 31-year-old was effective in the clinch and on the ground, landing shots that drew blood and threatened to put Green away. Yet Green refused to let the moment slip away. He found his rhythm, forced McKinney to back away, and then capitalized with a spine-tingling finish that underscored Green’s enduring danger to opponents at this stage of his career.
With the victory, Green extended his late-career resurgence to four consecutive wins, following previous triumphs over Lance Gibson, Daniel Zellhuber, and Jeremy Stephens. The performance reinforced Green’s standing as one of MMA’s most unlikely comeback stories, a veteran who continues to evolve and finish opponents when it matters most.
“I feel great,” Green said, already thinking ahead to his next move. He indicated a desire to return on the UFC 331 card at the Intuit Dome and even floated a September date on the Los Angeles card as a possibility, suggesting he could stay actively competing throughout the year if the opportunity presented itself.
The card also delivered other memorable moments. Robert Whittaker delivered a jaw-dropping performance with a spectacular finish of Nikita Krylov, while Gable Steveson made an electrifying UFC debut with a first-round knockout. Adrian Yanez added another highlight by stopping former champion Cody Garbrandt, further elevating the stacked UFC 329 lineup.
Fans can relive the entire UFC 329 night with full results, highlights, and round-by-round updates, which showcased a blend of veteran grit and breakout performances that kept the arena buzzing from start to finish. Green’s improbable rise, McKinney’s high-energy challenge, and the night’s dramatic finishes combined to make UFC 329 a memorable chapter in the sport’s ongoing narrative.