King Green used the momentum of his third straight win at UFC 328 to fire sharp criticism at Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev over their wrestling-heavy title fights.
Coming off a rear-naked choke victory over Jeremy Stephens, which he set up with a takedown, Green contrasted his own approach to grappling with what he sees from some of the sport’s top champions. Islam Makhachev recently moved up from lightweight to defeat welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena with dominant wrestling, while Khamzat Chimaev controlled Dricus du Plessis for five rounds with wrestling to win the middleweight title, which he later lost to Sean Strickland.
“They’re not trying to make something timeless that this is a great fight that I actually want to go back and watch later on. … I feel like Chimaev, Islam’s last fights, those were some of the most horrible title fights I’ve ever seen,” Green said.
Green, who previously fought Makhachev on short notice in 2022 and holds an 18-year professional record of 35-17, stressed that he aims to wrestle with urgency. “You’ll see me get on top, I don’t waste no time trying to hit you. I don’t waste time at all. I’m going after you, where I’ll see guys hugging and in positions and just kind of stalemating each other out.”
Known for prioritizing exciting performances, Green added that, in his view, “The audience is looking for the knockouts, those are the things that they want to see.”
