Preview: UFC Fight Night 203 ‘Santos vs. Ankalaev’

Lightweights

NR | Drew Dober (23-11, 1 N/C) vs. NR | Terrance McKinney (12-3)
Odds: Dober (-185), McKinney (+150)

Well, credit McKinney for striking while the iron is hot. He is a fascinating prospect, as he comes from a wrestling background but is far from your usual grinder; "T. Wrecks" has a style built entirely around aggression and getting the early finish, whether it's on the feet or on the mat. His 2019 fight on the Contender Series showed where that could go south - McKinney was unable to get that finish, tired himself out and was finished via flying knee in the second round - but McKinney's UFC debut showed the benefits of that approach, as he torched Matt Frevola in just seven seconds at UFC 263 last June. After injuring himself in his post-fight celebration, McKinney was unable to get back into the cage until last month, where he picked up where he left off and quickly submitted Fares Ziam. That left McKinney fresh enough to fight just two weeks later, as he steps in for his toughest test to date against Drew Dober. In clear contrast to McKinney, Dober had a slow start to his UFC career, not finding much success and also not particularly impressing in his losses. But with his 2016 win over Scott Holtzman, Dober was able to start carving out a niche as a high-output and low-power kickboxer capable of putting on some fun fights in the middle of the card. Since then it's been a slow evolution for Dober, marked by him finally discovering some knockout power in 2019, giving him enough offensive potency to charge towards the lightweight top 15. 2021 saw Dober fall short against two ranked opponents in Islam Makhachev and Brad Riddell, but he's got all the tools to continue as a rock-solid fighter for years to come. McKinney's wrestling skill makes this fight interesting given Dober's traditionally questionable takedown defense, but a quick submission appears to be McKinney's only path to victory; Dober is among the most historically durable fighters on the roster, and the Woodson loss suggests that McKinney has little to offer past the first round, even in a winning performance up to that point. The pick is Dober via second-round knockout.

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