Patricio Pitbull is respected by AJ McKee but the latter thinks he claimed Bellator GOAT title from the former

Patricio Pitbull is a Bellator MMA icon, and someone he split a pair of BMMA title fights with has weighed in on the Brazilian fighter’s run in the UFC so far. The combatant in question is AJ McKee, who fights an undefeated adversary Salamat Isbulaev, at PFL San Diego in the headliner on Saturday, June 27th.

When AJ McKee fought Patricio Pitbull twice, the former won a million dollars from a grand prix and the promotion’s lineal 145-pound gold in the process, while Patricio Freire regained the featherweight crown in their rematch. When asked for his thoughts on Pitbull’s UFC run so far, with a couple of losses bookending a win at this juncture, McKee said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Man, that dude, he’s been holding it down. He was the champ when I first signed to the organization of Bellator. So, he’s been through those waters. He’s got a lot of notable wins under his career. He’s been holding his thing down. Then his last fight with [Aaron] Pico. So, they’re both hungry. They’re both my boys. It’s just nice to see them continue to do their thing and do what they’re doing.”

Patricio Pitbull lost his Bellator GOAT status to AJ McKee, per the latter

Losses to Yair Rodriguez and Aaron Pico took place, with a win over Dan Ige transpiring in the middle of that stretch for Patricio Pitbull. After referring to Pitbull as the Bellator GOAT, considering not just his massive profile as their featherweight champion but also winning their lightweight belt in a clash with Michael Chandler, McKee stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Yeah, but I’m the Bellator GOAT [laughs]. I took that one off from him. So, but yeah, man. He’s definitely an OG, a vet.”

When asked if ‘The Mercenary’ was also on a path to becoming PFL’s GOAT someday, McKee quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Definitely. I’m just looking forward to being world champion again and getting that strap wrapped around my waist again.”