King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy prediction, pick, start time for UFC 313

King Green and Mauricio Ruffy meet Saturday in the main card opener of UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 2-3
UFC main cards, 2025: 17-13-1

King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 preview

Green (32-16-1 MMA, 13-11-1 UFC) has traded wins and losses over his past few outings, and comes into this one following what he described as a “blooper” submission loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 304. In the fight prior, Green picked up a unanimous decision win over fellow grizzled veteran Jim Miller at UFC 300. … Ruffy (11-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) enters on a six-fight winning streak, and looks to maintain his undefeated run in the UFC. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran stopped Jamie Mullarkey in his debut and followed that with a unanimous decision over James Llontop to go 2-0 in his debut year.

King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 expert pick, prediction

The paid portion of the card kicks off with a potential lightweight war between Green and Ruffy.

It’s nice to see the UFC matchmakers get back to Joe Silva’s tried and true method of opening main cards with lightweight fights.

In this case, Ruffy will look to make up for lost time and potentially raise his stock with a win over the always-fun Green.

A fighter with a criminally underrated style, Green has quietly been one of the best shoulder rollers in MMA (particularly in his prime). And if MMA judges were better about properly awarding clean counters and bodywork, then Green’s record could arguably look a bit different.

If this fight were a few years ago, I’d probably pick Green to give Rufft a veteran lesson by drawing out his shots and countering him in combination. But between Green’s suspect durability after his near-murder at the hands of Kerry Hatley to Ruffy’s power and proprioception, fans of the American may be in for a rough night.

Even though I not-so-secretly hope I’m wrong, the pick is Ruffy to break down Green with leg kicks and counters in order to force a stoppage in Round 2.

King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the Brazilian fighter, listing Ruffy -500 and Green +360 via FanDuel.

King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy UFC 313 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Green and Ruffy are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:10 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.