Terrance McKinney addresses controversial UFC 329 knockout loss to King Green: ‘Ref should have let it go to next round’

Terrance McKinney saw yet another fight end in the first round at UFC 329, but on this occasion he’s surprised he didn’t get to see a second.

“T. Wrecks” has earned a reputation for having his fights end in the blink of an eye, win or lose, and it looked like he was on the path to a quick victory against King Green before the tables dramatically turned and Green scored a knockout at the last second of Round 1. Green rattled McKinney with a body shot and then followed with punches as McKinney turtled up against the fence, a defensive act that wasn’t enough to convince referee Kerry Hatley that the fight should continue.

Later Saturday evening, McKinney took to social media to address the controversial stoppage.

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

McKinney and Green were later seen enjoying a night out at the club on their socials, showing there’s no ill will between the friends-turned-opponents.

The bout could have turned out differently if McKinney had been able to finish a wounded Green earlier in the fight, and McKinney took responsibility for tactical mistakes that opened the door for Green’s comeback.

“I would def stayed on top,” McKinney replied to a Twitter commenter asking why he went for a rear-naked choke instead of maintaining full mount.

With the loss, McKinney fell to 8-6 in the UFC. He has never gone to decision in his 27-fight pro career, and only four of his fights have gone past the opening round.