Lightweight standout Terrance McKinney is determined to right the wrongs of his last excursion inside the Octagon.
A first-round TKO loss at the hands of Drew Dober put a halt to the surging prospect’s five-fight win streak back in March of this year; and even though he had just eight days to prepare for the short notice bout, ‘T-wrecks’ made no excuses for his performance that night.
Instead, he turned his focus inward, making wholesale changes in areas of his game that were somewhat lacking in that prior engagement – and he’s eager to showcase those improvements opposite Erick Gonzalez at UFC Vegas 59.
He expects to put on a virtuoso performance on August 6th.
“[I’ve learned] how to be calculated when I’ve got people hurt; and just not being bloody thirsty for the knockout,” McKinney told The AllStar of the changes. “Because at the end of the day it’s about getting the full check.”
“So I’m making sure if I’m rocking someone, I post on their shoulder and just see how they react. If I drop them bad I’m making sure [that] if I see them trying to crowd me, I’m actually looking to snatch up the neck.”
The 27-year-old is looking to take a leaf out of the ‘Do Bronx’ playbook in future match-ups:
“Just pretty much get my Charles Oliveira going on. Just looking for the submission and knockout at all times, actively.”
Complimenting the changes in McKinney’s mindset since suffering his first loss inside the UFC, the Illinois native has also upped the intensity of his training regimen at the gym – and as of now believe’s he’s firing on all cylinders.
“I’ve really stepped up the strength and conditioning, I’m really seeing a difference now when I do the wrestling for multiple rounds I’m not getting tired.
“I’m just excited to just show the world the new Terrance. They’re gonna see a huge growth in fight IQ and just may overall shot selection as well.”
As for McKinney’s thoughts on his opponent? He was initially surprised with the Gonzalez pairing, as the newcomer is 0-1 in the promotion. However, there was no hesitation when it came to signing on the dotted line.
“It’s a good bounce-back fight so it was an easy yes for me.”
“His cardio’s good, and just like, he’s unorthodox so he can catch people off guard. I think those are kind of the elements he brings to his game. But it’s definitely nothing I’ve never seen before.”
The confines of the smaller 25-foot cage at the UFC Apex, where the bout will take place, McKinney believes will work in his favor come fight night – and he can imagine himself getting the finish.
“Fighting there just plays into my game a whole lot better because I can really cut them off and I can really land at a high rate in that cage because there’s nowhere they can really go.”
“I’m gonna show people I have cardio. So it [will] go later into the second, but towards the [third] put him on his butt and submit him.”
Fighter profile
Terrance “T.Wrecks” McKinney is a 27-year-old male fighter from the United States with 12 pro wins and 4 losses. McKinney is scheduled to fight Erick Gonzalez at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
Terrance McKinney’s recent form coming into this matchup
Terrance McKinney has gone 4-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Loss vs Drew Dober • KO/TKO R1 3:17 • 2022-03-12
- Win vs Fares Ziam • Submission R1 2:11 • 2022-02-26
- 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
Terrance McKinney’s next opponent: Erick “The Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez
Erick “The Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez’s recent form coming into this matchup
Erick “The Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez is a 30-year-old male fighter from the United States with 14 pro wins and 6 losses. Gonzalez is scheduled to fight Terrance McKinney at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
Erick Gonzalez has gone 3-2 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Loss vs Jim Miller • KO/TKO R2 0:14 • 2021-10-16
- Win vs Samuel Alvarez • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-08-07
- Win vs Oziel Rodriguez • KO/TKO R3 0:37 • 2021-03-19
- Loss vs Humberto Bandenay • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-12-20
- Win vs Milko Tucto • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-12-20
How to watch and bet on Terrance McKinney vs Erick Gonzalez
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