Things got real spicy backstage at UFC 332. King Green and Esteban Ribovics nearly came to blows before their lightweight clash after ‘El Gringo’ missed weight for the first time in his UFC career. What started as a tense backstage exchange quickly got physical, with members of both teams getting involved and someone from the UFC veteran’s side even giving the Argentinian a shove as tempers flared.

Green’s friend and boxer Arnold Barboza Jr. wasn’t exactly helping cool things down either. As the Argentine stood across from Green’s camp, Barboza could be heard repeatedly yelling the same message at ‘El Gringo’:

“Be professional. Make weight,” Barboza repeatedly screamed.

The confrontation came after Ribovics missed weight for the first time in his UFC career ahead of his matchup with Green.

King Green had already weighed in at 155.5 pounds earlier Friday, keeping his perfect record of making weight across all 31 of his UFC fights intact. ‘El Gringo’, meanwhile, showed up more than an hour after most of the UFC 332 card had finished weighing in and came in at 156.5 pounds, missing weight for the very first time in his career.

The Argentine lightweight tried again behind the curtain after removing his shorts but still couldn’t get down to the 156-pound non-title limit.That left Esteban Ribovics with a 20% deduction from his fight-night purse and ruled him out of the $100,000 Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses.

And well, the veteran didn’t exactly hide his excitement when he found out.

“Sheesh! Damn! My opponent was nowhere to be seen,” Green said on his livestream. “He got 50 minutes. If he don’t make weight, taxing that check. Taxing that a–. Take 20% and bust me off some of that money.”

However, he did lose his cool when he later heard Esteban Ribovics explain that he had accepted the fight on short notice and wasn’t happy with the situation. The veteran wasn’t exactly sympathetic.

“I got my s— on 28 days,” he said. “You b—- a– n—-. Man, these b—- a– n—– got every excuse in the world. I got 28 days, I had less than what he had. He had four weeks.”

‘El Gringo’ had reportedly cut his family trip to Disney World in Orlando short to take the fight, but that didn’t do much to cool things down between the two lightweights.

King Green wasn’t exactly cruising through his own weight cut, either. The 40-year-old has made weight in all 31 of his UFC fights, so even with the misery of a brutal cut, he had a streak to protect.

The UFC veteran looked completely drained as he worked his way towards the limit, and he wasn’t exactly in the mood for small talk when a cameraman tried to check in on him.

“What do you feel right now?” the cameraman asked.

“F— you! I feel like f— you! Don’t ask me no motherf—— questions,” Green fired back.

Despite the drama, the fight is still on.The Argentinian won’t be eligible for the UFC’s official $100,000 bonuses, while King Green could potentially pocket an extra $200,000 if the matchup wins Fight of the Night.

Still, while the extra cash from Ribovics’ missed weight is certainly nice, the UFC veteran has his eyes on a much bigger payday.

Dana White opens the door for King Green’s BMF dream

King Green is riding a four-fight UFC winning streak, matching his best run since he opened his UFC career with four straight wins back in 2013.

After being stopped by Mauricio Ruffy in March 2025, the 40-year-old has bounced back in style, picking up three straight finishes: a knockout of Daniel Zellhuber, a submission win over Jeremy Stephens and, most recently, a stoppage victory against Terrance McKinney.

That run has put the 40-year-old in position to chase a bigger opportunity, but getting a ranked opponent has been easier said than done. His long-standing BMF ambitions aren’t looking much more realistic either.

“It would be the ultimate honour; it would be a dream come true,” Green said during Wednesday’s media day. “It will never happen, though; I can’t even get a 15 guy, let alone a BMF shot. I wanna earn my shot.”

The UFC veteran’s BMF hopes may have gotten a little more interesting after a reporter floated his name to Dana White during Thursday’s press conference in Utah.

The UFC head honcho didn’t push back on the idea. In fact, Dana White appeared to agree that King Green could be a fitting candidate for the symbolic title.

“I do not disagree with you. I absolutely agree,” White said.

Charles Oliveira currently holds the BMF title after beating Max Holloway in their rematch this past March. ‘Do Bronx’ relied heavily on his grappling to get the job done, a style that didn’t exactly thrill fans who expect the BMF belt to come with nonstop action.

For now, though, King Green has Esteban Ribovics standing in his way. If the veteran can extend his winning streak at UFC 332, his once-unlikely BMF dream could suddenly start looking a lot more realistic.