LAS VEGAS – Terrance McKinney wasn’t about to turn down an opportunity to fight on a Conor McGregor card.
McKinney (18-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) takes on King Green (35-17-1 MMA, 16-12-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 329 main card opener at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+).
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Green considered McKinney a friend, so he was irked when he accepted the fight by accusing him of chasing clout. McKinney acknowledges that the pair hung out, but gave his side of the story on how their matchup came about.
“I posted this funny video on my Instagram calling him out, and then he’s like, ‘Man, let’s not take each other’s shine,'” McKinney said during Wednesday’s UFC 329 pre-fight news conference. “(He was) pretty much saying we’re Black, we’re supposed to be brothers, and I was like, ‘You know what? I’ll take the post down.’ I was like, ‘You’re right.’ We only really hung out once when I was managed by Iridium. So, he comes down, drives two hours, we hung out a little bit, and that was pretty much it.
“Then literally a week later, the UFC contacted my manager and they were like, ‘You want to fight Bobby Green on a Conor McGregor card?’ I sent him a message. I was like, if it were up to you, what do you think? I said to me, I really can’t say no. This is something all fighters dreamed of. We grew up watching Conor McGregor. Being a fan and being able to fight on his card is something you can’t turn down.”
It’s all respect from McKinney, but that won’t stop him from trying to take out Green, who often talks to his opponents during the fight. McKinney averages the shortest fight time in UFC history.
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“I hope he talks so he can get that jaw twisted,” McKinney said. “So yeah, talk. It’s going to hurt real bad when I hit you in your mouth and you’re talking.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Terrance McKinney hopes King Green talks so ‘he can get that jaw twisted’
