Lightweight prospect Terrance McKinney returns to action on Saturday at UFC Vegas 59, looking to bounce back from a loss to Drew Dober that in many ways wasn’t actually a loss.
At least not in McKinney’s eyes.
Having taken the fight against Dober on barely a week’s notice, McKinney wound up in a firefight back in March, knocking the veteran down only to be TKO’d himself later in the round. The fight, needless to say, didn’t leave the first frame, and McKinney’s urgency to secure the stoppage, brought on at least in part by the short-notice nature, cost him.
“It’s all positives, because now I know just the necessary adjustments to make when I’m fighting someone in the higher echelon of the division,” McKinney (12-4) told the Top Turtle Podcast on Cageside Press recently. “I’m just ready to show the growth I’ve learned from that. Because every win and loss, there’s always something you can take away.”
In that sense, and others, “I think it was still a win for me,” McKinney continued. “I gained like 8,000 followers after that fight, so I think the hype is still there. I showed up on eight days notice, was the first person ever in the UFC to drop Drew Dober. So it was a win even in a defeat.”
“I wouldn’t take anything back from it. I know how to pick my shots when I have someone hurt now, if they can take it. Just a lot of growth after that fight. I’m very excited to showcase the new skills on August 6.”
On August 6 at UFC Vegas 59, Terrance McKinney will face Erick “Ghost Pepper” Gonzalez. As to what to expect, “definitely expect him to get punched in the face,” he told us, “but also for me to be looking for the submission. So if I drop him and an arm-bar is there, or like a D’arce or anything is available, just know I’m going to take it, versus trying to pound him out til he’s still.”
Terrance McKinney faces Erick Gonzalez on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 59 this Saturday, August 6, 2022 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
