It may not wind up having the highest ceiling, but McKinney’s
approach sure is entertaining. McKinney is a top-flight athlete who
can do a bit of everything. A former high-level wrestler who had
his college career derailed due to drug issues, “T. Wrecks” backs
up those skills with some accurate striking. However, it is hard to
tell whether McKinney is maximizing or minimizing his gifts, as he
fights like an absolute madman. McKinney blitzes his opponents with
a speed and furor that few fighters on the roster can match, and if
he does not score the quick knockout, he is usually able to crash
into his opponents and find himself in a dominant position once the
scrambles stop. McKinney’s first two UFC wins over Matt
Frevola and Fares Ziam
were absolutely electric, the former via seven-second knockout and
the latter via first-round submission, so he decided to strike
while the iron was hot and take on Drew Dober on
a quick turnaround in March. Unfortunately for him, that was too
much of a step up in competition, with Dober somehow surviving
another blistering start from the prospect before McKinney tired
badly and got finished after the opening salvo. McKinney figures to
rebound against Gonzalez, a solid fighter who is getting some
difficult draws in the UFC. “The Ghost Pepper” is a fun scrapper
who was able to rely on some wrestling and clinch work on the
regional scene, but he has found himself without a safety valve
against better athletes and stronger competition. With that said,
he did do well for himself before suffering a second-round knockout
against Jim Miller in
his UFC debut in 2021. Gonzalez could take over this fight if
McKinney burns himself out once again, but it seems unlikely that
things make it to that point, especially since the favorite also
figures to be the more effective wrestler and grappler. The pick is
McKinney via first-round knockout.
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