UFC St. Louis: Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento continues the prelims with a fight in the lightweight division between Terrance McKinney and Esteban Ribovics. Mckinney is coming off of back-to-back first-round knockouts in his last two fights meanwhile, Ribovics secured his first victory inside the Octagon his last time out at UFC 290. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our McKinney-Ribovics prediction and pick.

Terrance McKinney (15-6) is coming off back-to-back first-round knockout victories in his last two fights giving him his second winning streak of his UFC career. He finished both Brendon Marotte and Mike Breeden in under two minutes combined. McKinney will be looking to make it three in a row when he takes on Argentina's Esteban Ribovics this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Esteban Ribovics (12-1) secured his UFC contract with a first-round knockout on the Contender Series. However, in his UFC debut, he had the daunted task of going against the “Tajik Tank” Loik Radzhabov who out-grappled Ribovics giving him his first professional loss. He was then able to secure his first win inside the Octagon his next time out with a unanimous decision victory against Kamuela Kirk and he will now look to get on his first winning streak in the UFC when he takes on Terrance McKinney this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Here are the UFC St. Louis Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC St. Louis Odds: Terrance McKinney-Esteban Ribovics Odds

Terrance McKinney: +140

Esteban Ribovics: -160

Over 1.5 rounds: +200

Under 1.5 rounds: -260

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Why Terrance McKinney Will Win

Terrance McKinney is a fan favorite as he puts on a show win or lose every time he steps foot inside the Octagon. In his 21 fights, he's never seen the judge's scorecards so we can expect more of the same here in this matchup against Esteban Ribovics. After back-to-back knockout victories in his last two fights, McKinney will look to extend his winning streak inside the Octagon when he squares off against Argentina's Esteban Ribovics this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

McKinney is a kill-or-be-killed type of fighter who's always looking for the finish any way possible and this weekend will be no different. He has only seen round two once in his UFC career and once in the last five years so expect McKinney to come out guns blazing in round one looking to put the pressure on the inexperienced Ribovics. McKinney poses a threat on the feet and also on the mat making him a tough fight for anyone in the lightweight division. It's going to boil down to whether or not McKinney can refrain from getting cracked by Ribovics or gassing out trying for the finish. If McKinney can avoid getting knocked out and mix in the takedowns expect another quick finish from “T-Wreck” making it three in a row.

Why Esteban Ribovics Will Win

Esteban Ribovics came into the UFC as an undefeated prospect out of Argentina after securing his contract on the Contender Series with a first-round knockout of Thomas Paull. He attempted to keep his unbeaten streak intact in his UFC debut but a matchup with Loik Radzhabov showed that it was too much too soon for Argentinian. However, he was able to secure his first win inside the Octagon when he defeated Kamuela Kirk and this will be his first fight in 10 months after he had to withdraw from a scheduled fight against Elves Brener at UFC Sao Paulo. Ribovics will look to make up for lost time when he takes on Terrance McKinney this weekend at UFC St. Louis.

Esteban Ribovics is a very good striker with crisp boxing combinations. He loves to mix in the bodywork to open up the head strikes and the transition between the two is seamless for him. While Ribovics' grappling is a work in progress, he does a great job at getting back to his feet which he did against both Radzhabov and Kirk after being taken down to the mat. That takedown defense and get-up game of Ribovics will be key in this matchup against McKinney. As long as he can weather the early storm of McKinney and take him into deep waters he has a chance to not only extend his winning streak to two but also notch another knockout victory on his resume.

Final Terrance McKinney-Esteban Ribovics Prediction & Pick

This is going to be an absolute barnburner between these two lightweight contenders. McKinney is going to come forward looking to put on a hectic pace early in the fight meanwhile, Ribovics will be looking to weather the early storm and look for the knockout as McKinney slows down. Ultimately, while McKinney has failed time and time again there's just a hunch that he goes in there throws caution to the wind takes Ribovics down early, takes his back, and sinks in the first-round rear-naked choke to make it three wins in a row.

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Final Terrance McKinney-Esteban Ribovics Prediction & Pick: Terrance McKinney (+140), Under 1.5 Rounds (-260)