A.J. McKee down for trilogy fight with Patricio Pitbull after “horrible” title defense at Bellator 286: “There ain’t no respect for that dude”

By Josh Evanoff - October 4, 2022

Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee would like to run it back with Patricio Pitbull.

Bellator 263, Patricio Freire, A.J. McKee,

‘Mercenary’ returned at Bellator 286 last Saturday night opposite UFC veteran Spike Carlyle. The bout was the first time the former featherweight champion competed up at 155-pounds. The matchup was a thrilling one, that saw McKee win by unanimous decision.

In the main event of the same card, Patricio Pitbull returned for a title defense against Adam Borics. In the headliner, the Brazilian secured his first title defense since winning the title in April, this time by unanimous decision.

Despite the victory, A.J. McKee wasn’t impressed with the featherweight champion. On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the lightweight targeted Pitbull for his lackluster performance on Saturday. Furthermore, he called for a trilogy bout between them.

The two men have fought twice in the past over gold, with the series sitting at 1-1. Over the last few months, McKee and Pitbull have shown interest in changing weight classes. The former champion wants to ensure that the trilogy bout happens before either makes a permanent move.

AJ-McKee-Patricio-Pitbull

PhotoCred: Orange County Register

“It sucked ass, bro,” McKee said. “That [fight] was horrible. He talks about how he’s a professional and my fight was like a backyard brawl scrap. Bro, it’s a mixed martial arts fight. If you fight from the hood then you’re going to get a hood fight. If you want to be technical, then be technical. But you can’t talk about you’re a technical fighter when you’re poking people in the eye. And then when they tell the ref they get poked in the eye, you want to swing on them. Nah, alright, bet. You’re going to get a hood scrap every time. There ain’t no respect for that dude.” (h/t MMAFighting)

He continued, “…I think it should [be next]. For his legacy, for my legacy. If it doesn’t, whatever. Like I said, bigger and better things, that’s what I’m on to. I would love to make it happen. It should happen. I think it’s what the people want, I think it’s what I want. I don’t know if it’s what he wants, but one and one, I think we need to settle this, you know? Can’t leave the game open.”
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This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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