Preview: UFC Fight Night 230 Prelims

Lightweights

Terrance McKinney (14-6, 4-3 UFC)) vs. Brendon Marotte (8-1, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: McKinney (-450), Marotte (+300)

It remains to be seen whether McKinney will ever fully turn a corner, but at least he is keeping up a busy schedule full of engaging fights in the meantime. McKinney is a bit of an odd fighter. His issue of blowing out his gas tank in the name of scoring a quick finish is a familiar archetype, but “T. Wrecks” has a surprising level of skill for someone with that approach, showing some impressive striking accuracy to go along with a strong wrestling background. It has worked spectacularly at times, most notably in his seven-second knockout of Matt Frevola in his UFC debut, but 2023 saw McKinney feel the need to switch things up with mixed results. McKinney came out with a patient approach against Ismael Bonfim only to still get knocked out by the second round, and a subsequent fight against Nazim Sadykhov saw him fight entirely behind his wrestling and grappling just to tire once again. It was back to McKinney’s old ways for a quick knockout of Mike Breeden in August, and up next is a late replacement in Marotte. The 26-year-old Marotte is essentially a question mark, as there is not much recent film available for the New England native, particularly since his return from a three-year layoff in March. Prior to that, Marotte was certainly a scrappy fighter who could survive in a brawl, but he had plenty of defensive holes that McKinney can exploit, particularly in terms of his wrestling. Marotte could find a path to victory due to his comfort in chaos, if only thanks to McKinney burning himself out. However, the read is that the UFC newcomer finds himself in over his head during the early going. The pick is McKinney via second-round submission.

Continue Reading »
Brown vs. Elkins
Dixon vs. Alekseeva
Gutierrez vs. Alateng
Ducote vs. Yoder
McKinney vs. Marotte
Lisboa vs. Oliveira