Preview: UFC 317 Prelims

Lightweights

Terrance McKinney (16-7, 6-4 UFC) vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (8-5-1, 3-4-1 UFC)

ODDS: McKinney (-185), Borshchev (+154)

This should be quick and violent, which is true of nearly all McKinney fights. McKinney has champion-level athletic talent and can hold his own as both a wrestler and a striker, but he has instead gone the path of pure action fighter. McKinney storms out to a hot start where either man can be instantly finished, then usually implodes if one of his fights makes it to the second round. McKinney’s biggest wins in the UFC are probably his first two, as quick finishes of Matt Frevola and Fares Ziam have aged quite well in the time since. As far as the last three years have gone, McKinney has mostly just taken apart opponents just on the fringes of the UFC. Borshchev would be a decently sized scalp per that standard, as he has carved out his own niche as a reliable action fighter while still having some clear issues that could set him up for failure here. “Slava Claus” is a crafty striker who can land some hard counters, but he has had to thread a needle to take opponents apart at the UFC level. His defensive wrestling doesn’t have much depth, and even if Borshchev gets his preferred kickboxing match, his lack of defense there can leave him struggling to keep up against aggressive opponents. As such, this pairing once again lines up to have the usual McKinney dynamic where he needs to win within a round but has a decent chance of doing so. The call is that things line up well enough for the American to get the job done. The pick is McKinney via first-round submission.


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Hermansson vs. Rodrigues
Delgado vs. Amil
Cortez vs. Araujo
McKinney vs. Borshchev
McVey vs. Ewert
Diniz vs. Hines
Smith vs. Price