A fan-favorite lightweight star is all set to leave the division following a massive weight miss. Terrance McKinney was scheduled to face veteran Jim Miller in a lightweight bout on the UFC 334 prelims this weekend at Madison Square Garden. Ahead of the bout, ‘T-Wrecks’ missed the 155 lbs limit by an astounding margin, which forced him to abandon the division altogether.

During the official weigh-ins, McKinney weighed in at 160.2 pounds for the lightweight division’s non-title limit of 156 lbs, overshooting the mark by 4.2 pounds. Miller, on the other hand, successfully registered 155.6 pounds. As a result, the UFC 334 fight was moved to a catchweight, but McKinney had to pay the price by forfeiting 30% of his purse, which will go to his opponent. 

Following his costly weight miss, Terrance McKinney apologized through social media, stating that his fight against Jim Miller at UFC 334 would be the last time he competes at lightweight and that his next bout will take place at welterweight.

“I want to apologize to everyone and @ufc for missing weight,” McKinney wrote on X. “I’ve never missed weight in my life, and I’m sorry, but the ship has sailed for 155. It’s official. My last bout at lightweight. I’m trusting in God, who will make sure I’m ready for whatever comes at welterweight.”

For McKinney, the move to 170 lbs seems very rational. Though the 32-year-old’s latest miss marked the first time he has failed to make weight, there’s a reason why ‘T-Wrecks’ could struggle making 155 lbs.

McKinney also admitted to walking around at 190-195 lbs a week out from his lightweight bout, which meant cutting 30-40 lbs, a massive task for McKinney, who has a notably lean physique.

At welterweight, McKinney will have to cut less weight. But he will face much bigger opponents at 170 lbs, such as Kevin Holland, Daniel Rodriguez, and others. So, there are definitely some trade-offs to his decision. Interestingly though, this is not the first time the Illinois native has shifted weight.

Very early in his career, Terrance McKinney was a featherweight before he became a UFC fighter. He fought Darrick Minner at MCF 18 in the 145 lbs division in 2019 and lost the bout via submission. McKinney’s next fight, against Dedrek Sanders at SHP 59, took place in the lightweight division, which is when he shifted divisions.

Terrance McKinney had some notable wins in the lightweight division over Viacheslav Borshchev, Kyle Nelson, Fares Ziam, and Matt Frevola.

Now, McKinney is once again making a substantial shift in his weight. But he is certainly not the first one to do so.

Other fighters who have shifted weight after tipping the scale in UFC

When it comes to weight misses, a notable name that comes to mind is none other than Kelvin Gastelum. The Mexican started his UFC career as a welterweight. However, Gastelum faced difficulty in making the divisional limit, which forced him to move up.

Gastelum missed the welterweight limit three times in his career. But his most notable miss in the 170 lbs division came against Donald Cerrone at UFC 205. Gastelum arrived 10 pounds over the allowed weight limit, which compelled the UFC to cancel the bout altogether. 

The Mexican was subsequently elevated to middleweight. Still, the weight-miss nightmare ended up haunting him.

In 2025, Gastelum weighed in at 191 pounds, missing the division’s non-title limit of 186 lbs by a staggering 5 pounds against Dustin Stoltzfus at Noche UFC in September, marking his first noted miss at middleweight.

Outside Gastelum, another notable case is former UFC fighter Cynthia Calvillo.

She started her UFC career as a strawweight, but ended up tipping the scale twice in the 115 lbs division. Calvillo finally realized that making strawweight was becoming increasingly tough, so she moved up to the women’s flyweight division.

Calvillo ended up beating Jessica Eye to win her 125 lbs debut. However, she also lost four fights in a row at flyweight and returned to strawweight once again. But she missed weight again against Piera Rodríguez at UFC Fight Night 240 in April 2024, forcing the UFC to cancel the bout, and the promotion subsequently released her from the roster.

Terrance McKinney opted to make a drastic decision after his recent weight miss. Now, it will be interesting to see whether ‘T-Wrecks’ finds success at welterweight or meets with adversity there.