UFC: Terrance McKinney plans to put Fares Ziam to sleep

Terrance McKinney has had this next fight on his radar for months now. The UFC lightweight is chomping at the bit to finally get the pairing inside the cage.

Back in November when the original date for the Fares Ziam matchup fell by the wayside, it brought McKinney to tears. His cornerman tested positive for COVID which caused the contest to be scrapped in pretty close proximity to fight time.

The bout was rescheduled immediately for Feb.26 at UFC Vegas 49 and McKinney’s fight prediction indicates a studious nature within his fighting methodology. But also that there’s a thoughtful demeanor underpinning his pursuit of destruction.

“Sometimes if you’re pressing him, one he doesn’t like to get hit. Two, if he gets into the cage he’s very hesitant,” McKinney told The AllStar’s John Hyon Ko. “If I can catch a read of him hesitating one second, I definitely see it not going past the first round. I just say that because I know God’s with me. It’s just my time sadly. I feel bad for him. Because I’ve got to go out there and put him to sleep.

“For everyone in my family, for my teammates, for God. This career is dedicated to him. He gave me a second chance at life. I had to take this from him. It sucks because I want him to succeed too. I respect him. They’re putting up everything. They’ve put in time away from their family and grind every day. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him. But when I’m out there, I’m sorry. I’m about to put these guys’ lights out.”

“T.Wrecks” is so game that he even eyeballs competitive opportunities with people who’ve fought at welterweight and even middleweight. This is showcased in the interest level he has for a wrestling match with Khamzat Chimaev.

“I want to feel if the hype is real,” McKinney said about Chimaev. “I want to feel how this man is…that alpha male. Stuff like that excites me. I wanna see if he has the strength of a heavyweight. Let’s see what people are talking about is real.

“Obviously, he wrestled a lot of elite people. I think he got a lot of upper body stuff but I don’t see him as like a real wrestler shot person like a high crotch or anything like that. More like upper body ties and throws and snaps. I like his style of wrestling but I think that’s where I’ll get him at.”

The desire to challenge himself against well-regarded opposition that much physically larger conveys the ambition and competitive spirit of McKinney.

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Fighter profile

Terrance “T.Wrecks” McKinney is a 27 year old male fighter from United States with 11 pro wins and 3 losses. McKinney is scheduled to fight Fares Ziam at UFC Fight Night: Dariush vs. Makhachev on Saturday February 26, 2022.

McKinney’s recent form coming into this matchup

McKinney has gone 4-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Matt Frevola • KO/TKO R1 0:07 • 2021-06-12
• Win vs Michael Irizarry Ortiz • KO/TKO R1 1:12 • 2021-06-04
• Win vs Toninho Gavinho • KO/TKO R1 0:17 • 2021-04-30
• Win vs Dedrek Sanders • KO/TKO R1 0:16 • 2021-03-06
• Loss vs Darrick Minner • Submission R1 0:57 • 2019-10-19

Terrance McKinney’s next opponent: Fares “Smile Killer” Ziam

Fares “Smile Killer” Ziam’s recent form coming into this matchup

Fares “Smile Killer” Ziam is a 24 year old male fighter from France with 12 pro wins and 3 losses. Ziam is scheduled to fight Terrance McKinney at UFC Fight Night: Dariush vs. Makhachev on Saturday February 26, 2022.

Ziam has gone 4-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Luigi Vendramini • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-06-12
• Win vs Jamie Mullarkey • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-10-17
• Loss vs Don Madge • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-09-07
• Win vs Yassine Belhadj • Submission R3 1:05 • 2019-02-02
• Win vs Julio Matos • Decision R3 5:00 • 2018-10-13

How to watch and bet on Terrance McKinney vs Fares Ziam

Keep track of all the latest odds and line-movements at our bout page for this matchup.