Terrance McKinney doesn’t expect Paddy Pimblett matchup next: ‘He has to take the baby steps’

Terrance McKinney knows who he wants to fight next, even if he doubts that the matchup will happen.

Following a first-round submission of Erick Gonzalez this past Saturday at UFC Vegas 59, McKinney called for a bout with popular lightweight Paddy Pimblett. McKinney appeared on The MMA Hour and said he doesn’t expect to fight Pimblett anytime soon – the UFC may want to be careful with how it books the rising English star.

“Not very likely,” McKinney said of the chances that he fights Pimblett next. “Probably once we’re both ranked. He has to take the baby steps, you know? They’ve seen what I did to Drew [Dober]. Paddy, everything would be down, they’re losing money, then they’ve got to give me the money, which is even better. But they’re going to take their time on that.”

McKinney improved to 3-1 in the UFC with all of his fights ending in the first round, including a loss to Drew Dober this past March that McKinney said made him learn to control his aggressiveness ahead of the Gonzalez fight. He still secured quick finish and none of his UFC wins have taken longer than half a round.

Should he step into the cage with Pimblett, he doesn’t expect that fight to go the distance either.

“Me putting him to sleep and showing people that Scousers can get knocked out,” McKinney said of the expected outcome. “The fans are going to go crazy.”

This past Saturday’s card took place at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, a venue McKinney hopes not to revisit anytime soon. He wants big crowds for all of his fights, specifically a Madison Square Garden meeting with “The Baddy.” Pimblett has previously said that he won’t fight in New York due to the high state income tax.

The Liverpool native has shined in a pair of UFC London fight cards this year and McKinney was impressed by his recent submission win over Jordan Leavitt.

“I think he did decent, but the kid knows how to finish a fight,” McKinney said. “He knows how to get creative. Even when he was down, he still came out crazy and he got it done. He knows how to get it done and as we know, I know how to get it done, so I know that’s going to be a fight that fans would never forget.”

If McKinney is correct in that the UFC won’t pair him up with Pimblett next, he has a couple of more veteran names in mind.

“I would love to fight Jim Miller or Bobby Green,” McKinney said. “It would just be an honor. Those guys are legends and I think that makes for an exciting fight.”