King Green Rips Herb Dean's TKO Stoppage vs. Esteban Ribovics

King Green says referee Herb Dean should have let the UFC 332 main card bout against Esteban Ribovics keep going after Dean stopped the fight in the first round.

Ribovics dropped Green with a combination before a left hook put him down again. Green kept getting back to his feet, but Dean had seen enough and waved it off in the opening round.

Green didn't agree with the call. In a post-fight video, he said he warned Dean ahead of time that things might get rough for him.

"I told Herb it's gonna get sticky and let me go out on my shield," Green said. "I was still fine, I felt like we were getting somewhere but it was a great fight. I'll be back very soon."

He expanded on that message afterward, making clear he wasn't blaming himself for the result even if the stoppage stung.

"Great fight, sh*t happens," Green said. "I told myself, regardless or not, I'm not going to be mad at myself, but I'm a little mad. I told Herb, 'This is going to get sticky. Let me go out on my shield.' I was still fine. I wanted to still keep fighting. I felt like we were getting somewhere."

He closed with a message to his supporters and a promise to run it back soon.

"It was a great fight. Shout out to everybody that supported, everybody that was cheering me on. I love you guys. I'm fine. I'm great. I feel like I want to fight next f*cking week. You know what I mean? And so, thank you so much for the support. I love you guys, and I will be back very soon."

What This Loss Means for King Green

The defeat snaps a stretch of momentum for King Green, who hadn't lost since falling to Mauricio Ruffy in March 2025. Green had been angling to get his name into the BMF conversation, and a stoppage loss makes that pitch a lot harder to sell right now. At 40 years old, Green has built his late-career run on durability and volume, and a quick finish like this one is the kind of result that changes how matchmakers and oddsmakers view him in his next fight.

Herb Dean's stoppages always draw debate, and this one is no different given Green's insistence that he had more to give. But referees are trained to weigh a fighter's ability to intelligently defend himself, not just willingness to keep standing, and multiple knockdowns in a short span is usually enough to end a night early.

Up Next

Green said he wants to get back in the cage as soon as possible, and that urgency tracks with how he's approached his career resurgence. Nothing is official yet, but expect him to push for a quick turnaround rather than an extended layoff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Herb Dean stop the King Green vs. Esteban Ribovics fight?

Referee Herb Dean stopped the UFC 332 bout in the first round after Esteban Ribovics dropped King Green multiple times, including with a left hook, and Green kept struggling to fully recover before the finish.

What did King Green say about the stoppage against Esteban Ribovics?

King Green said he told Herb Dean before the fight to let him go out on his shield and insisted he still had something left when the fight was waved off, saying he felt they were getting somewhere.

When was King Green's last loss before Esteban Ribovics?

King Green's loss to Esteban Ribovics at UFC 332 was his first defeat since he fell to Mauricio Ruffy in March 2025.