After initially being relegated to the preliminary card, a promising lightweight match-up between Terrance McKinney and Erick Gonzalez saw its profile boosted when UFC Vegas 59 lost a couple of fights.
McKinney was looking to bounce back from a wild but ultimately losing effort opposite Drew Dober in March. Gonzalez, meanwhile, was looking to do the same after being knocked out by Jim Miller back in October.
Early on, McKinney was firing, with Gonzalez on the defensive. Gonzalez slipped, but was able to recover before McKinney could take advantage. “T.Wrecks” continued to turn up the heat, firing some knees to the body. Gonzalez then caught McKinney coming in, stopping him in his tracks — but McKinney changed levels for a takedown, planting Gonzalez on his back.
From there, Gonzalez moved to the fence, but McKinney climbed the back, locked up a body triangle, and got under the neck. Gonzalez gave the thumbs up for a moment, but before long was forced to tap. That was the fight — another first round finish for McKinney, this time via a slick submission.
Following the win, McKinney called out Paddy “the Baddy” Pimblett, noting that the fans want it, potentially for a date on November’s UFC 281 card.
Official Result: Terrance McKinney def. Erick Gonzalez by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:17
