A lightweight pairing between Terrance McKinney and Fares Ziam is in the works for a UFC event on November 20.
Announced on McKinney’s social media accounts, the lightweight indicated that fight news was on its way soon. Shortly after giving fans a teaser of what is to come, it was revealed by MMA DNA first that a match-up between McKinney and Fares Ziam was finalized.
🚨🚨BREAKING🚨🚨
After his 7 second KO win in his UFC debut, Terrance McKinney returns to the Octagon on November 20th against French prospect Fares Ziam in the Lightweight division.
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— MMA DNA (@MMADNANL) August 24, 2021
As of this writing, the venue and location are yet to be cemented for the Nov. 20 event. This will mark the 26-year old McKinney‘s second UFC bout, both of which will have taken place in 2021.
McKinney exploded on the MMA scene with a debut performance that resulted in a 7-second knockout against a formidable Matt Frevola. After the huge knockout, it seems most believe that the young prospect likely has a big future in mixed martial arts.
With a second UFC fight on the horizon, McKinney is keen on showing the world his finishing abilities, and his lone UFC win is a great example. Additionally, the lightweight has always had a tendency to finish his fights quickly as he did so in Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) where he picked up a couple of early finishes. McKinney simply prefers to get his work done while standing–and understands he’s not paid by the hour.
Though, at times, his strength has become his weakness, noted in his flying knee knockout loss to Sean Woodson on the 2019 Contender Series opportunity. Despite that setback in the striking department, clearly, McKinney has made adjustments to his striking defense in leaps and bounds since.
In the opposite corner will be Ziam who hails from France with a professional record of 12-3. The Frenchman made his UFC debut at UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2, the same day and event as McKinney made his knockout debut. After Ziam’s big decision win against Luigi Vendramini in his respective debut, the Frenchman will look to build a winning streak at his new proving grounds on Nov. 20.
Without a doubt, an exciting second fight for both blue-chip debutantes will pave the way for one of them in the 155-pound weight class.
Who is your early pick in the lightweight fight between Terrance McKinney & Fares Ziam?