McKinney disputes UFC 329 stoppage after Green's last-second knockout: 'Ref should have let it go to next round'

Terrance McKinney is calling for answers after referee Kerry Hatley stopped his UFC 329 lightweight bout against King Green with just two seconds remaining in the first round, handing McKinney a knockout loss he believes should never have been called.

Green had appeared to be in serious trouble earlier in the round, with McKinney controlling the pace and picking his shots. The momentum shifted dramatically in the closing seconds when Green landed a body shot and followed up with punches as McKinney turtled up against the fence. Hatley intervened with the clock almost expired, a decision that drew immediate criticism from McKinney.

“Got me in liver, but the ref should have let it go to next round, only two seconds left,” McKinney wrote on social media later that evening. “I’m proud of the growth I had, wasn’t just tweaking, picked my shots. We’ll be back, congrats to [Green].”

McKinney also acknowledged his own tactical errors contributed to the reversal. When a commenter questioned why he had gone for a rear-naked choke rather than maintaining full mount during an earlier dominant position, McKinney accepted the criticism. “I would def stayed on top,” he replied.

Despite the bitterness of the result, there appears to be no lasting bad blood between the two fighters. McKinney and Green were later pictured together on a night out, underlining the friendly relationship that existed before they met inside the octagon.

The defeat drops McKinney to 8-6 in the UFC. Across his entire 27-fight professional career, he has never once gone the distance — only four of his bouts have made it past the opening round — a record that speaks to the explosive, all-or-nothing nature of his style, regardless of which side of the result he ends up on.