A.J. McKee News

AJ McKee
Bellator

A.J. McKee explains why he dry humped Spike Carlyle mid-fight at Bellator 286

Fernando Quiles - October 2, 2022

AJ McKee has offered an explanation for his decision to go full-on Israel Adesanya during his Bellator 286 fight against Spike Carlyle. McKee and Carlyle did battle inside Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California. The bout went the distance and while McKee was the clear winner, taking a unanimous decision, Carlyle received praise for his toughness and he never stopped trying to be competitive in the fight.

Bellator

Spike Carlyle sounds off on the CSAC after missing weight for Bellator 286: “This isn’t right. I’ve never missed weight in my life.”

Josh Evanoff - September 30, 2022

Bellator lightweight contender Spike Carlyle missed weight earlier today, and he wasn’t happy. ‘The Alpha Ginger’ is currently riding a five-fight winning streak, last defeating Koji Takeda in April. The bout was a one-off in RIZIN, and he’s now set to Bellator tomorrow night. Carlyle is set to co-main event Bellator 286 tomorrow night, in one of the most high-profile bouts of his career.

Nate Diaz, Dana White, UFC
Bellator

A.J. McKee would love the opportunity to fight Nate Diaz in Bellator: “He can get a Long Beach slap”

Harry Kettle - September 30, 2022

AJ McKee has given his thoughts on the idea of possibly meeting free agent Nate Diaz inside the Bellator cage. Ever since his submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, fans have been wondering what’s next for Nate Diaz. The Stockton king is one of the most exciting fighters in the game and now that he’s done with UFC, at least for the time being, there are plenty of possibilities out there for him to explore – whether it be in mixed martial arts or beyond.

Anthony Pettis

A.J. McKee hopeful for possible crossover bout with PFL's Anthony Pettis: "That would be kind of lit, low-key"

Josh Evanoff - September 16, 2022

Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee is down for some crossover fights. ‘Mercenary’ has been out of action since his rematch with Patricio Pitbull in April. Their first outing nearly a year prior saw McKee win the featherweight title by first-round submission. In the rematch, the Brazilian flipped the script and regained his championship by decision.

Patricio-Pitbull-AJ-McKee-Bellator
Bellator

Scott Coker reveals Patricio Pitbull vs. A.J. McKee 3 is likely on the way: "That fight deserves to have a trilogy"

Josh Evanoff - April 22, 2022

Scott Coker has revealed that fans will likely see a Patricio Pitbull and A.J. McKee trilogy bout in the future. The two featherweights are coming off back to back clashes with one another. Their first encounter at Bellator 263 in July 2021 saw McKee win the Bellator Grand Prix by submission. Their follow-up bout at Bellator 277 last week saw Pitbull reclaim the featherweight title via unanimous decision.

Quinton Rampage Jackson, 50 Cent
Bellator

Rampage Jackson reacts to 'McKee vs. Pitbull 2' decision: "That was the worst robbery I've ever seen in MMA"

Chris Taylor - April 16, 2022

Rampage Jackson says that Friday’s ‘McKee vs. Pitbull 2’ fight resulted in the worst robbery he’s ever seen in MMA. McKee (18-1 MMA, 18-1 BMMA) and Freire (33-5 MMA, 21-5 BMMA) collided for a second time in the headliner of Bellator 277 last night in San Jose.

A.J. McKee, Bellator 277, Patricio Freire
Bellator

Pros react to A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Freire 2 at Bellator 277

Chris Taylor - April 15, 2022

Tonight’s Bellator 277 event was headlined by a featherweight title fight rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire. McKee (18-1 MMA, 18-1 BMMA) was looking to earn his first career title defense when he squared off with ‘Pitbull’ for a second time this evening. ‘The Mercenary’ had won 5 of his previous 7 bouts in the very first round ahead of tonight’s affair.

Patricio Freire, Bellator, Josh Thomson
Bellator

Bellator 277 Results: Patricio Freire defeats A.J. McKee (Highlights)

Chris Taylor - April 15, 2022

Tonight’s Bellator 277 event is headlined by a featherweight title fight rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire. McKee (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) will be looking to earn his first career title defense when he squares off with ‘Pitbull’ for a second time this evening. ‘The Mercenary’ has won 5 of his past 7 bouts in the very first round, including his recent defeat of Freire.

AJ-McKee-Patricio-Pitbull
Bellator

A.J. McKee reveals that he's turned down Bellator contract extension, wants $1 million per fight to stay with promotion

Josh Evanoff - April 13, 2022

Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee has revealed the price that is needed for him to stay in the promotion. ‘Mercenary’ is coming off a victory over Patricio Pitbull last July. The victory saw him win Bellator featherweight gold, as well as the promotion’s 145-pound Grand Prix. He’s now set to rematch the former champion this Friday at Bellator 277.

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

A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Pitbull rematch set for Bellator 277 in April

Josh Evanoff - February 16, 2022

Bellator 277 has officially been announced for April 15th. The event is packing heat and has two of their biggest title fights of the year scheduled for it. The main event of the card will be the second chapter in the rivalry between A.J. McKee and Patricio Pitbull. The two first met at Bellator 263, where ‘Mercenary’ defeated the champion via first-round submission to claim featherweight gold. The bout was the finals of Bellator’s 2020 featherweight Grand Prix.

Scott-Coker
Bellator

Scott Coker explains why AJ McKee is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA

Adam Martin - August 15, 2021

Bellator president Scott Coker explained why the promotion’s 145lbs champion AJ McKee is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA right now. McKee recently finished Patricio Pitbull in the main event of Bellator 263 to become the promotion’s new 145lbs champion, as well as the winner of the $1 million dollar grand prize for winning the Bellator World Featherweight Grand Prix. Just 26 years old, McKee is now a perfect 18-0 in MMA. it’s the longest undefeated streak for a fighter in a major MMA promotion, and as far as McKee’s boss Coker goes, it proves that he’s among the best.

AJ-McKee-Patricio-Pitbull
Bellator

Coach believes AJ McKee and Patricio Pitbull should rematch in Brazil

Drake Riggs - August 2, 2021

AJ McKee is the new Bellator featherweight king. Bellator 263 this past Saturday night saw the 26-year old crowned to close out the 145-pound one-million-dollar Grand Prix. To do so, McKee put away the greatest fighter in promotional history, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, in just a single round.

A.J. McKee, Bellator 263
Bellator

Pros react after A.J. McKee submits Patricio Freire at Bellator 263

Chris Taylor - July 31, 2021

Tonight’s Bellator 263 event was headlined by the tournament finals of the promotions 145-pound grand prix as Patricio Freire squared off with A.J. McKee. Patricio Freire (32-5 MMA), Bellator’s reigning featherweight champion, had entered tonight’s main event on a seven-fight winning streak, his latest being a first round submission victory over Emmanuel Sanchez in the featherweight grand prix semifinals.

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

Bellator 263 Results: A.J. McKee stops Patricio Freire in Round 1 (Video)

Chris Taylor - July 31, 2021

Tonight’s Bellator 263 event is headlined by the tournament finals of the promotions 145-pound grand prix as Patricio Freire meets A.J. McKee. Patricio Freire (32-4 MMA), the reigning Bellator featherweight champion, will enter tonight’s main event sporting a seven-fight winning streak, his latest being a first round submission victory over Emmanuel Sanchez in the featherweight grand prix semifinals.

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

Bellator 263 Fighter Salaries: Patricio Freire guaranteed $250,000 win or lose

Chris Taylor - July 31, 2021

The fighter salaries for tonight’s Bellator 263 event have been revealed and featherweight headliners Patricio Freire and A.J. McKee are set to cash in. Freire and McKee will collide in the tournament finals of the promotions 145-pound grand prix this evening, with the winner set to take home an additional $1 million award.

Patricio-Pitbull-AJ-McKee-Bellator
Bellator

Patricio Pitbull vs. AJ McKee set for Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix finals this summer

Adam D Martin - June 11, 2021

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull vs. AJ McKee is set for the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix finals this summer. Pitbull and McKee will meet on July 30 on Showtime, according to MMAFighting.com, with Pitbull’s 145lbs belt and the $1 million tournament grand prize up for grabs. The venue and location for the event have not been determined yet, although Bellator has been holding all of its shows at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it’s possible the promotion could look to book this fight somewhere else where more fans will be allowed to attend since it’s such a big fight for the promotion.

Patricio-Pitbull-AJ-McKee-Bellator
Bellator

Patricio Pitbull and AJ McKee get into heated verbal exchange at Bellator 255 (Video)

Adam D Martin - April 4, 2021

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull and No. 1 contender AJ McKee got into a heated verbal exchange following Bellator 255. Pitbull finished Emmanuel Sanchez on Friday in the main event of Bellator 255 to advance to the finals of the Bellator World Featherweight Grand Prix. The Brazilian is the reigning and defending Bellator featherweight champion — not to mention the Bellator lightweight champion — and he will put his belt on the line once again in the finals against McKee, the top prospect who is the son of former UFC fighter Antonio McKee. The younger McKee looked absolutely sensational on his way to the finals and the undefeated fighter is arguably Pitbull’s toughest test to date. This should be an incredible finale at 145lbs.

A.J. McKee
Bellator

AJ McKee says Dana White will owe him lunch for bet made in 2008

Adam Martin - November 25, 2020

Bellator featherweight contender AJ McKee vowed that UFC president Dana White will owe him lunch for a bet made all the way back in 2008. At the time, McKee was just 13 years old and his father Antonio was the one who was a professional fighter. According to McKee, he was once behind the scenes at a youth wrestling event in 2008 that White also attended with former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. McKee says that he met White that day and told him that one day he would be a world champion. If he won the world title, White would owe him lunch. Fast forward to 2020 and it looks like McKee wants to collect on lunch.

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