Terrance Kitarius McKinney (born September 15, 1994) is an American professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who currently competes in the lightweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). A professional since 2017, McKinney also competed for

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

(LFA).

Background

McKinney was born and raised to his mother Kitara Johnson, a former

gang member A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

. McKinney and his family moved to a military base in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, where he was picked on due to being small, and after relocating to

Davenport, Washington Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Lincoln County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,703 at the 2020 census. As the seat of government for the county and its largest population center, Davenport serves as an import ...

once his mother joined the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, he was picked on for being

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

. McKinney eventually ended up at

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

in 2007, where he took up

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. During his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

years, McKinney was a standout high school wrestler, becoming a two-time WIAA state champion out of

Shadle Park High School Shadle Park High School is a four-year public secondary school in the northwest United States, located in the Audubon/Downriver neighborhood of Spokane, Washington. Northwest of downtown Spokane, Shadle Park was the first new high school in the ci ...

and a Fargo All-American in freestyle. The sixth-ranked senior recruit in the country, McKinney considered skipping

college wrestling Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and mi ...

to jump into

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

, a sport he had decided to pursue as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

, but went on to wrestle at

North Idaho College North Idaho College (NIC) is a public community college in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It has an enrollment exceeding 6,000 and is situated at the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene near downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Tubbs Hill, Coeur d'Alene, Idah ...

, where he went 31–11 and was the top-ranked athlete during his first year in junior college ('13–'14). After a quick stint at NIC, he transferred to

Chadron State College Chadron State College is a public college in Chadron, Nebraska, US. It is one of three public colleges in the Nebraska State College System. It has open admission and an acceptance rate of 100%. According to College Factual, it has a six-year g ...

and

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

during '14–'15. During the summer of 2015, McKinney was extremely intoxicated after abusing

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

psilocybin mushroom Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, are a polyphyletic informal group of mushroom, fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. Biological genera containing psilocybin mushrooms include ''Psilocyb ...

s and alcohol, and the friends he was partying with called the police and left the scene. Once police found him covered in blood (after cutting his neck with glass) and experiencing

excited delirium Excited delirium (ExDS), also known as agitated delirium (AgDS), is a controversial diagnosis sometimes characterized as a potentially fatal state of extreme agitation and delirium. It is typically diagnosed postmortem in young adult males, dispr ...

, McKinney was transported to the hospital. In the ambulance, his heart beat stopped and died twice, though he was resuscitated twice as well. In return to the police officers who saved his life, McKinney served as a leader for the Youth Police Initiative. Referring to the incident years later, McKinney expressed: McKinney was not kicked off the wrestling team and went on to be ranked as high as second in the nation in the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

level during the 2015–16 season, before transferring to

Notre Dame College Notre Dame College (Notre Dame College of Ohio or NDC) is a private Roman Catholic college in South Euclid, Ohio. Established in 1922 as a women's college, it has been coeducational since January 2001. Notre Dame College offers 30 majors and i ...

and

dropping out Dropping out refers to leaving high school, college, university or another group for practical reasons, necessities, inability, apathy, or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves. Canada In Canada, most ind ...

after one semester in order to pursue mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

After ending his

career, McKinney made his amateur

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

debut in August 2016, winning by knockout fifteen seconds into the first round. A year later, he would turn professional, and went on to compile a 7–1 record before appearing on Dana White's Contender Series 21 in July 2019, losing by knockout to

Sean Woodson Sean Woodson (born June 7, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in North County, Sean Woodson’s dad was the driving in ...

. After also losing his next fight to

Darrick Minner Darrick Minner (born April 28, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born in Auburn, Nebraska and raised in Nebraska City, Minner wrestled at Nebra ...

, McKinney took time off and came back in early 2021 in the lightweight division, racking up three knockouts in a row (two in the LFA) with a combined octagon time of less than two minutes in a span of four months, before signing with the

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Eight days after a first round knockout win in the headliner of LFA 109, McKinney made his promotional debut against

Matt Frevola Matthew Kenneth Frevola (born June 11, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2014, he has also competed for th ...

on June 12, 2021, at

UFC 263 ''UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2021, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, United States. Background The event was the second ...

, replacing an injured

Frank Camacho Franklin Beldad Camacho (born May 18, 1989) is a Chamorro mixed martial artist in the lightweight division. He was a 2010 Blue Belt Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World champion and a 2006 Micronesian Games wrestling gold medalist. He competed in the Ultima ...

. He won the fight by knockout seven seconds into the first round, setting the record for the fastest finish in UFC lightweight history. After the event, UFC president

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

announced that even though McKinney did not receive an official

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

bonus, he would receive an unofficial one. On February 26, 2022, McKinney faced

Farès Ziam Farès Ziam (born March 21, 1997) is a French mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born into a Franco-Algerian family in 1997, he was a fan of mixed martial arts and Bra ...

at UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green, earning a victory via rear-naked choke in the first. In a fourteen-day turnaround, McKinney stepped in short notice to take on

Drew Dober Andrew Martin Dober (born October 19, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, he has also formerly competed for Bella ...

on March 12, at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev, replacing an injured

Ricky Glenn Ricky Glenn (born April 12, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the UFC. A professional since 2006, he is the former World Series of Fighting Featherweight Champiom. Background Glenn was ...

. McKinney knocked down Dober twice within the opening minute, but ultimately lost the fight via technical knockout in round one. McKinney faced Erick Gonzalez on August 6, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 40. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in round one. McKinney faced Ismael Bonfim on January 21, 2023, at

UFC 283 ''UFC 283: Teixeira vs. Hill'' is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on January 21, 2023, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Background The event will mark the p ...

. He lost the fight via a flying knee knockout in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

* Front Street Fights ** FSF Lightweight Championship (one time) *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2022 Round of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 , Ismael Bonfim , KO (flying knee) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Erick Gonzalez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Santos vs. Hill , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, TKO (knee and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Makhachev vs. Green , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 ,

, KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:07 ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the la ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Michael Irizarry Ortiz , KO (punches) , LFA 109 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma Cit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Toninho Gavinho , KO (head kick) , LFA 106 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Dedrek Sanders , TKO (punches) , SHP 59 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 ,

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–3 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , MCF 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

North Platte, Nebraska North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the west-central part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River. T ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

, KO (flying knee) , Dana White's Contender Series 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:49 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Charon Spain , Submission (rear–naked choke) , ExciteFight: Conquest of the Cage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:43 , Airway Heights, Washington, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Bobby McIntyre , Submission (rear–naked choke) , Front Street Fights 19 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:57 ,

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Jeff Coleman , TKO (punches) , ExciteFight: Conquest of the Cage , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:07 , Airway Heights, Washington, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Tyrone Henderson , TKO (leg injury) , CageSport 52 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Brandon Todd , Submission (kneebar) , CageSport 50 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:43 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Armando Best , Submission (rear–naked choke) , CageSport 48 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:23 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Armando Best , Submission (rear–naked choke) , CageSport 47 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKinney, Terrance 1994 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Washington (state)