UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney alleges a foul during his fight with Nazim Sadykhov in July, accusing Sadykhov of illegally grabbing the cage, and plans to file an appeal with the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Terrance McKinney, a seasoned UFC lightweight, has expressed his dissatisfaction over his defeat to Nazim Sadykhov in July. He is preparing to challenge the loss with the Nevada Athletic Commission, alleging that Sadykhov garnered an unfair advantage by repeatedly gripping the fence during their match. McKinney lost his grip during a takedown due to this, subsequently falling prey to a rear-naked choke that ended the fight. He thinks that referee Keith Peterson neglected to sufficiently prevent Sadykhov from committing the infraction, which directly influenced the outcome.
McKinney expressed that Sadykhov also gripped the fence in their first round when he held his back. He views this as a foul move, warranting a point deduction and a restart. In his observations, every time Sadykhov clung to the fence, it caused him to drop to his rear as he tried to complete the takedown instead of remaining on his knees. Then, he had to abandon the attempt when it happened again. Despite Peterson knocking his hand loose several times, he chose not to pause the game or penalize Sadykhov with a point deduction.
Despite his initial disappointment, McKinney envisions his manager launching an appeal in the next few days. He is hopeful that the commission will revisit the recording to discern how the misdemeanor impacted the fight’s final result. In retrospect, outside one mistake he wishes to correct, he was happy with his performance. He voiced his desire to settle things in the third round, where he expected Sadykhov to become reckless. Given the allowance, he would have thrown an additional jab in the second round before taking the shot.
While the appeal process is underway, McKinney has secured his next fight against Mike Breeden as part of UFC Vegas 78. He is no stranger to such abrupt arrangements and credits Kevin Holland, a UFC colleague and recent mentor, for his readiness. After suffering consecutive losses, McKinney is keen to regain his winning form sooner rather than later. He holds no resentment towards Breeden, but views him as a means to dispel his frustrations following two vexing results.