King Green turned massive heads as he knocked out Daniel Zellhuber at the UFC Mexico Fight Night event. But as fans believe it’s just another win for the experienced lightweight, some experts think it’s way beyond that. According to analysts, the 39-year-old’s victory showed a massive skill gap against up-and-coming fighters.

Impressed by Green’s astonishing victory at the Arena CDMX, veteran journalist Luke Thomas and former UFC fighter Josh Thomson found themselves agreeing with the thought that there’s a significant difference in skills when it comes to the older and new generations of fighters. 

Veteran swagger silences the Golden Boy in Mexico City

When it comes to UFC or MMA in general, age matters a lot when evaluating competition. In most cases, younger and fresher athletes tend to overcome the previous generation easily. However, sometimes the opposite also happens… for instance, when an experienced King Green faces new talent like Zellhuber, who’s 13 years younger (26 YO) and clearly seems hesitant to throw down with him. 

Instead of shying away from Zellhuber’s six-inch reach advantage, Green baited the 26-year-old by fighting with his hands near his waist, utilizing elite head movement to slip incoming strikes. The definitive turning point arrived in the second round when Green calmly survived a tight buggy choke attempt on the mat, even throwing thumbs-up to referee Herb Dean while trapped. Escaping the submission sapped Zellhuber’s momentum. Frustrated and looking to trap Green against the cage, the younger fighter overcommitted on a rush forward. Green instantly capitalized, cracking him with a stiff straight left, followed by a punishing right hook that sent Zellhuber crashing to the canvas. The 39-year-old unloaded a heavy barrage of ground-and-pound until a controversial, late stoppage from Dean mercifully ended the bout at 4:55 of round two.

Following that, prominent MMA journalist Luke Thomas gave his two cents on the incident on X.

“Kinda incredible how the senior fighters in UFC are able to consistently, week in and week out, keep emerging talent at bay. The old guard isn’t doing it on athleticism. There’s a skills gap,” he noted.

Josh Thomson, a former Strikeforce world champ, backed the point with an elite fighter’s read.

“Because his generation and the previous ones were fighters first, not athletes making business decisions inside the cage,” Thomson responded.

Thomas and Thomson’s take gains more steam as the 26-year-old also lost to Michael Johnson in his last fight, who is also 39 years old. So, we can definitely see the pattern, at least with Zellhuber, where a young talent like him is getting overwhelmed vs. experienced fighters. But is that always the case? Likely not, since the UFC Mexico card also saw Lone’er Kavanaugh (26) outclassing former champ Brandon Moreno (32) in the main event, despite taking the fight on short notice. 

That said, as King Green celebrates one of the most amazing victories of his career, is he going to crush another newcomer next? The answer is no, as the 155 lb veteran is targeting a legendary clash.

Green calls out the former star who defeated Conor McGregor 

Fighting for over a decade, King Green has cemented his status as a seasoned star in the UFC. Although the Californian never won a title in Dana White’s promotion, he remains an entertaining asset, and the fans always want to see Green compete against top names. The lightweight veteran also understands his status in the promotion and called out Nate Diaz, the longtime rival of Conor McGregor, for a fight.

“Ay Dana, bring my boy Nate Diaz back to the UFC,” King Green said at the UFC Mexico Octagon interview. “Let him retire where he belongs,” he added.

For the unversed, Diaz became a free agent after defeating Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. Since then, the Stockton native hasn’t fought in the UFC and tried his hand at boxing against Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal. However, after almost four years away from Dana White’s promotion, Diaz is plotting a comeback and is rumored to return against McGregor at the UFC White House in an anticipated trilogy.

Now, while fans would love to see the third fight, ‘The Notorious’s next opponent has been shrouded in mystery, as there are many names in the mix. In that case, a King Green vs. Nate Diaz wouldn’t be a bad showing at the marquee event. That said, what do you think should be the next move for the 39-year-old veteran?