UFC's Bobby Green announces official name change

It's good to be a king, and now Bobby Green is not just a putative king, but an actual “King.”

Green's nickname has been “King” for many years, but he recently said he plans to officially change his name and on Sunday posted a video to Instagram showing him doing so.

“King” Bobby Green now has official legal documentation identifying him as Bobby King. Green released a video of what he says is his birth certificate, along with a second legal document showing his corrected name.

Maybe the question here is what his nickname will be and what Bruce Buffer will do, because as it stands he is “King” Bobby King and a simple swap would make him “Green” Bobby King, which doesn't seem ideal.

But it seems King Green is where things will land.

It's no exaggeration to say that Green has had the best year of his career: Less than a year ago, he choked out former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 291 to earn a $50,000 bonus, and then 10 weeks later, he knocked out previously unbeaten Grant Dawson in just 33 seconds to earn an additional buck.

After a loss to Jalin Turner, he bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Jim Miller at UFC 300 in April, winning three of his last four fights, his best streak in a decade since joining UFC after the Strikeforce merger and winning his first four bouts.

In less than three weeks, Green (31-15-1 MMA, 13-10-1 UFC) will have a huge opportunity on enemy turf at UFC 304 in Manchester, facing highly-touted former Cage Warriors champion Paddy Pimblett (21-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC).

Pimblett, a rising star in the world of MMA trash talk, quickly seized the opportunity, predicting his win over Green with a Photoshopped image of himself as a “Game of Thrones”-esque warrior and calling himself “The Kingslayer.” The “Game of Thrones” character Jaime Lannister is known for killing kings. He's also known for having all sorts of sexy times with his sister, which is decidedly uncool. But maybe Pimblett just said “Kingslayer” as his opponent's name and nothing else.

Check out Green's… er, King's… King Green's… Instagram video and brief comment above, and for another taste of the destructive power of one of the lightweight division's best boxers, watch Miller's exit from UFC 300 back in April.